Finding Edward
by tItAnIUm AprIl
Summary: After being disappeared for 90 days Bella comes back mysteriously, each of the people around her wants to know where she was, as Bella's version of truth seems not so acceptable. Emmett who is after a serial killer believes Bella's disappearance was directly related to the killer, though the reason behind his conclusion is unknown... DARK EDWARD, WITH SOME ABUSE. AU/AH/OOC.
1. Chapter 1

_Detailed summary: On 10th January, Isabella Swan woke up in a place she didn't want to be in, waiting for 20th of the same month. Even though it was the place she was supposed to be in, she found herself looking something else, someone else. Her mind full of visions, some of them are disturbing, some are nice, some to fall in love with, and some are horrendous. Where was she? What happened with her? Why is she waiting for a particular date?_

_She watched everyone treating her in a different manner they used treat her earlier; she watched how the way they looked at her changed. She learned how the ideas of trust, love and bonding changes with time. The journey she ventured into for the next ten days were full of past memoirs and realizations. But where is her love?_

_Edward Masen X Isabella Swan, AH._

**Warning: Contains dark themes, Abuse, and extremely OOC Edward.**

**Disclaimer : I do not own the characters, only the story is mine.**

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**~~ Chapter 1 ~~**

**10th January 2011**

**Monday evening, 5pm**

She wakes up with having her cognizance clouded by a shooting pain which leads her to a huge amount of disorientation and torment. She tries to stretch out her limbs, but some alien objects inserted in her veins restrain her from doing so. She tries to open her heavy eyelids. For an instance she sees a boxy room white sickening white paint, and the next moment her vision blurs away. She closes her eyes back. The pain is not so terrible anymore, so she could endure it. She needs to sleep, as her body and her brain refuse to get in a working condition.

She welcomes the comfortable darkness before her eyes. Some noise starts ringing like bells in a temple far away as she exhales deeply. She feels cold and numb. The noise slowly turns into voices of a lady accompanied by a chirpy voice of a little girl and a deep mannish one. They are talking about her coming back... Coming back from where? She struggles to remember, and goes down swinging at once. Anxiety drips from the voices. She attempts to recognize the voices, but her mind somehow exhausted, withholds her attempt...

A strong chemical smell fills the air. She feels a sting in her left hand as if someone is trying to pierce the soft skin. A pair of warm hands holds her. She feels the touch of fingers stroking her hair. Relief washes over her. She is not alone.

"Edward..." She tries to speak. "Is that you?" But her weak mouth could only form one word.

"Edward..." She screams using all her force. Her voice though sounds like a whisper. "Where are you Edward?" She tries to reach out for the person she is calling out.

A soft hand touches her forehead; another firm touch holds her right hand to soothe her. She groans in discomfort and jerks her hands off to get rid of the unwanted touches; those are causing her an inexplicable distress. She tries to look around the place where she is, and the boxy room with white walls slowly forms a picture of a hospital room. She squints through the soft sunlight slipping inside the room through light green curtains. The room is not as boxy as it seemed earlier. She spots flowers in a corner, a water purifier, and a whole lot of medical equipments. She finds some awful tubes inserted into her body, and a rectangular machine full of wires creating beeping sound is sitting near her bed. She also spots a small crowd of five people. A man in white coat appears to be the doctor, two young nurses standing beside him. A grief stricken young man in his thirties standing just by her bed, his eyes are expectant as if he is waiting for something big. A lady, she scans her closely, is sitting close to her. She is tall, her extremely fair and clear complexion looks tanned and dry. Her face shows sign of despair, eyes large and sad. She looked like a saint, or an apparition just landed from a somber world... Although she doesn't know the reason of her grief, she feels she should comfort her. She needs to hug her, letting her cry away all the burdens that made her heart heavy.

She knows this lady.

"Bella." The doctor who is the owner of the mannish voice that attracted her a moment back, leans in. "Can you hear me?"

She closes her eyes and nods. She can hear him. Very clearly.

"Could you tell us how you are feeling now?" his tone is professional. She does not want to speak now.

"Bella?" He speaks again, this time he stirs a bit of softness in his tone. She opens her eyes to look at the doctor. A partly bald, short thin person flirting with his sixties looks back at her. It's amazing how a powerfully mannish voice comes out of those very thin and small lips. His wrinkled face looks like someone very close to her, someone who left her a very long time back. Unable to move her jaws properly, she replies very slowly.

"Yes."

"How are you feeling now?" For an inexplicable reason, the voice irritates her now.

"Leave me alone please." She utters weakly.

"Bells..." An almost breaking, shaking voice guides her sight towards the angelic lady. She is standing in the opposite side of her bed. She recalls this name, and the way she uttered the word. She had been calling her this way for a long time. Like forever.

She looks at her face.

"Hey." She curls her lips to form a smile. It makes her look even sadder, full of despair. All of a sudden, a name pops into her mind.

"Rose?" She asks slowly. "Where is he?"

One small and apparently simple question breaks a genuine smile into her face. Bella recognizes her elder sister now. _But where is he?_

The young man steps forward. "I am right here Bells." His handsome face beaming.

"Who are you?" Bella tries not to sound rude. He looks concerned for her. She notices warily her query has turned off the light in his face. Sensing tension in the air she darts her eyes on the rest four faces present in the room. The handsome man takes one more step close to her.

"You don't remember me?"

She observes him. He is a strong built guy, medium height, square face; his brown eyes watching her intently. Dressed in a trim fit light brown trouser and a dark brown cheese-cotton shirt, he looked stylish. A very masculine wrist watch catches her eye. Who is he? Is she supposed to know him?

She doesn't care to know him. She doesn't even want all these people in this room. Why are they crowding here?

"Do I know you?" Instead of yelling on him, she manages herself to be nice with the good looking guy. "Who are you?" She starts panicking inwardly.

"Bella it's me. Jacob." He comes closer, his face turns into a disheartened expression. "Jake. You don't remember me baby?"

The last words spoken by the man breaks her walls of self-control and courtesy. She forgets everything as he takes her hand on his. His touch, his voice, his eyes brings nothing but restlessness to her. Agitation dribbles through her brain cells. All of a sudden the beeping sound in the room increases by a thousand decibels. Voices everywhere starts hammering her head.

"Stay away from me." She screams. "How dare you touch me? Where is he? Why isn't he here?"

Rosalie, whose name now she can remember very well, moves towards her hastily.

"Who is not here? Tell me Bells." She keeps on repeating her question as Bella keeps on rambling the same meaningless question over and over. Her heart thumps so fast, so loud that it could explode at any moment.

"We should wait until she stabilizes. She's still under the effects of the sedatives." The doctor speaks loudly; the urgency in his voice is very much certain.

"But who is she asking for?" The handsome young man asks nervously.

She has to tell them about him. It is important. HE is important. Bella writhes inside trying to articulate her feelings in clear comprehensible words. She needs to tell Rose about him, and also to this cheese-cotton shirt so that he knows he does not get to touch her.

"Edward. Call Edward. I want to see Edward." She says fighting with the nurses who have ventured to push a syringe through her veins.

"I don't need any medicine. I don't need a single damned thing. Just call him." She turns to face her crying sister. "Rose. Please call him. I need to see him. I need to tell him that I love hi." She screams uncontrollably, trembling as her sobs wracked her body.

The cacophony of unwanted voices come to an abrupt stop. Only sound audible is the nauseating beeps.

"Call him. Edward. Call him..." Her tensed muscles start to lax. She cannot move her limbs anymore. The vision before her eyes fades away increasingly. She stammers his name continuously like a chant. Why is he not coming to her? He always replies back whenever she calls his name. Where is he? Her thoughts wander. He should be here right now. Now when she is positive about this one truth of her life, that she loves him, he should be there to listen to her. It took her a long time, awfully long, but now she cannot wait anymore.

"Where is he?" She screams again mustering up all her energy that is left.

"Who is he Bells?" Rosalie asks, seriously. No one else speaks. Not even the irritating doctor.

"He is..." She pauses to take a small breath and takes his name, pouring all her affection into that one name. "... Edward."

Slowly she calms down. The effects of the drug kicks in and she feels a drug induced drowsiness rushing over her senses. She fells inside a dark cold pit. Gasping for air. She looks for a ray of light. Nothing comes by except for a name. She speaks for the last time before drifting back into oblivion.

"Take me home Edward..."

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**_A/N: My new fiction... This is something I am trying for the very first time. _**

**_This IS a love story, just a bit 'dark and twisty'. If you bear with me, hopefully you will like the idea at the end. If you don't, no one will blame you for being a sane person having normal tendencies and a clean and clear perspective for love stories._**

**_A very special thanks to heartstrings13 for listening to my idea, supporting me, hearing all my blabbering about my lack of confidence and all other silly stuffs, reading all the versions I wrote patiently, and finally, pre-reading this final version too._**

**_Please feel free to leave your comments and suggestions._**

**_Thank you all for reading._**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer : I do not own the characters, only the story is mine.**

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**~~ Chapter 2 ~~**

**11th January**

**Tuesday, 1.25 am**

A humming sound wakes her up from the bottomless slumber she was gone into. She feels better, a lot better than she thought she would feel. She takes a few twists and turns on her bed to examine the finesse of her body. Once satisfied, she climbs down.

The room is dark, no light except for the moonlight that resembles with liquefied silver. Mild breeze fills the room as she opens the only window near her bed, a soft smell freshens her up.

A stunning realization hits her. She is standing in her room. Not the room she woke up this morning, but the room he gave her. Astounded, she looks around. Last time she checked, she had some serious people around her who made sure she does nothing without them keeping eye on her._It doesn't matter._She thinks and starts walking around the room aimlessly. The antique vase is looking dusty; the flowers kept in them are dry. Even the table is dirty. _I will have to clean them._She exclaims inside her mind. She places her hand on a painting hung on the north wall, the small flower girl standing inside the painting throws a smile to her.

She shifts her sight towards the door. The humming sound is still there. She concentrates to the words. She knows this song very well. It's a song she had heard him singing in a stolen private moment once.

_"A drop in the ocean, a change in the weather,…"_ He sings this song quite often. A familiar restlessness pushes her and she walks out. "_I prayed that you and me might end up together._.." She advances to the long dark corridor in the west that leads to the terrace. She takes small steps, hushed, devouring into the soft silent melody of an estranged night. Her hair hangs loose by her shoulder, soft curls tickling her sensitive skin. She inhales, afraid of entering into his personal realm of solitary. He is a loner, and she knows that. She has always seen him finding solace in loneliness; which is understandable to her. What she fails to comprehend is how badly he hates her presence in those personal spaces. She cautiously yanks the curtain.

_"…It's like wishing for rain as I stand in the desert but I'm holding you closer than most 'cause you are my heaven..."_ Like floral fragrance the lyrics flows in the air. As she expected, it's dark. Not entirely dark, a soft glow mildly illuminated the room. She blinks. Her eyes take a moment or two to get used to the darkness inside. Standing at the doorstep she hesitates. Would it displease him terribly if she enters? Last week when she ran into his room by mistake, he didn't look that annoyed, maybe because it was not intentional.

A thought crosses her mind. From what she has known about him in these days, he likes it when she invades into his room. He likes her being stubborn. Not always of course, but sometimes he really hopes her to do things.

She crosses the threshold slowly, hoping this would be one of those lucky 'sometimes' for her.

She instinctively walks inside, to the corner where she would find him sitting.

"_And still I can't let you be, most nights I hardly sleep, don't take what you don't need from me.."_ His husky voice forms goose bumps on her skin. She feels the longing in her veins as he waves his tone with the lyrics. "_It's just a drop in the ocean, a change in the weather; I was praying that you and me might end up together…"_A longing builds inside the small, yet powerfully thumping organ inside her chest. _"Misplaced trust and old friends, Never counting regrets,__By the grace of God I do not rest at all…"_Abruptly, he stops.

"Why were you standing outside the door?" He asks her and she feels his dark eyes on her.

"I was afraid you'd be angry to see me here." She replies, it sounds more like a whisper.

"You were gone." He complains. He rests himself on the cushioned back of his arm-chair.

"You sent me away Edward. I never wanted to leave." Surprised of his complaint she replies. What the hell does this man thinks of himself? She would have never left if he had not wanted her to do so. As a matter of fact, she didn't leave at all. It was him, who sedated her and threw away God knows where. She makes a mental note to ask Rose where they found her. "If you do that again, ever, you would not see me alive." Her voice moistens with overwhelming mixture of unidentified feelings.

A soft smile passes across his charming features and he closes his eyes.

"_The last excuse that I'll claim, I was a boy who loved a women like a little girl..."_He starts singing again. Not humming, but singing with a clear voice and crisp pronunciation. He reaches out for her hands, and leads her to sit in a couch nearby. She takes a stool instead, and sits near by him.

_"It's just a drop in the ocean, A change in the weather, I was praying that you and me might end up together..." _She sings along. "_It's like wishing for rain as I stand in the desert, But I'm holding you closer than most 'cause you are my..."_She closes her eyes while singing._"Heaven doesn't seem far away anymore.. No...Heaven doesn't seem far away…"_

**Morning, 10.30 am**

As soon as she opens her eyes back, bright, annoyingly bright light almost blinds her. She grumbles in discomfort.

"Bella?" Someone calls her name. Where is Edward? She turns, and... Fuck. The pain is back. She moves her hand to cover her face and loses control. What the hell has happened to her?

"Rose?" She asks keeping her eyes shut.

"Your sister is coming very soon. She is with the doctor." She recognizes the chirping voice from the previous day, it resembled the kind of speech a teenage delivers when she is over excited. She hears the nurse pulling the curtains. Feeling the disturbing light is gone she shots her eyes open. Just before her bed she finds the nurse. She is just a teenage girl like herself, or someone in her twenties.

Bella smiles to her, as a reply the teenage nurse widens her eyes.

"You are smiling. That means you are alright today." She says delightedly. Bella wanders if she was going to bounce in happiness. She feels amused by her childish re-action.

"I guess I am alright now. Could you tell me what time it is?" She tries to sit.

"Wait let me help you." The nurse jumps to her, adjusting a pillow on her back she helps her sitting. "Its morning 10.35, Tuesday if you want to know..." She pauses to see her patients face.

"And what date is it?"

"Oh you missed that too didn't you? It's 11th January today." _11th January, only nine days to go._Bella notes mentally.

_"_You are pretty." Hearing the nurse, suddenly Bella suppresses a giggle, and delivers a small thanking smile. "It's too bad that you got kidnapped by a psycho. You know you have been unconscious for a whole day after they found you. It's too bad. Only good things are supposed to happen with good people."

If she had thought before saying anything, the awkward situation could have been avoided. Bella thinks frowning. The nurse in her attempt to console her had just punched into her chest. In an instance the world before her eyes starts spinning. Is this what people believes about her sudden AWOL?

Bella looks up at her face to find if the girl is mocking her. Though she looks innocent and genuinely concerned, Bella finds her actions annoying and extremely immature now.

"What is your name?" She asks with an effort to hide her disappointment.

"Angela." The nurse answers.

"Angela, what makes you so certain that I am a good person? And who took me was a bad one? What made you think that I have gone through something bad?" She hears her voice getting cold and stern. She controls herself and breaks a tiny laugh. "Who told you that someone TOOK me in the first place?"

Angela looks startled by this sudden outburst. Of course she smiles while speaking, but her words seem like splash of ice cold water on her face. Pretty people look scarier when they are angry, rather than the normal ones. She mumbles a reply, and prays that her reply satisfies the crazy woman. "I..." She breathes and resumes. "I heard that you were kidnapped by the serial killer. I am sorry if I've hurt you. That was not my intention you know."

"What else have you heard about me?" Bella asks staring coldly.

"Does it matter anymore?" A familiar voice interrupts her interrogation and rescues Angela. The girls both look at the door. Angela greets the veteran doctor, and Rosalie. Rosalie says in a warm manner. "You are back to us that is enough." She runs her hand over Bella's head. "This is Dr. Carlisle Cullen. He took very special care of you."

Bella watches him.

"Doesn't he look like our Grandpa?" Rosalie grins lightly to her. _Yes he does._

"And how are you feeling today Bella?" Dr. Cullen asks. That is when she shifts her attention on herself. Being too engrossed in her previous conversation with Angela, she forgot the really serious thing she should be thinking about.

The pain seemed so excruciating earlier, Bella was confident she is having some serious complication in her body. Especially she was worried about her limbs.

"I am having body pain doctor. And I can't move my hands or legs." She stares at the doctor. He looks nice.

"It's because of the high dosage of the sedatives you were given to. With time you will feel better. Now let me check you first." He says smiling.

"Jake came to see you last night. You were sleeping. He was so concerned about you." Rosalie says while Dr. Cullen goes through his check up.

"Jake?" Bella thinks. Of course he would come. In the three years of their relationship he has always been a caring boyfriend. Now when they are engaged, his affection has only increased, although she fails to feel anything special for the guy now.

_Last night he came..._A mild tremor shivers her inside. A soft music flows through her system. She reminisces her tryst last night, and every corner of the room fills with the lyrics of a song.

Her excitability keeps on rising, though she becomes conscious of the fact that she was dreaming last night as soon as Rosalie refers Jake she feels blissfully lightheaded.

_Its 11th today..._She thinks.

"Rose I need to ask you something." She says. "And I need you to answer me honestly."

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**_A/N: Thank you all for reading, and following this story. I love you all guys:)_**

**_Feel free to leave your comments, and suggestions, or whatever you like._**

**_The song I have used is "A drop in the ocean" by Ron Pope. If you haven't heard this song till now, I would love you all to listen to it for once._**

**_See you next time. Till then have fun :)_**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Characters belong to their original authors, only the plot is mine...**

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**_~~Chapter 3~~_**

.  
.

_"You should probably talk about it." Alice stated for the millionth time in the week, while stirring the sugar in her coffee. "You look depressed nowadays. As if something is disturbing you. Why don't you just talk?"_

_"There is nothing to talk about Alice." Bella said nonchalantly._

_"Look I understand you don't want to share your problem with me, and I am ok with that. You don't need to treat me as some foolish kid to hide it. I already am feeling stupid enough to ask you anything, to pretend as we are best friends in the first place. Now please do me this little favor, stop making me feel worse. You know I have other problems to deal with too." With that, Alice quieted herself. _

_Bella stared at her, a wave of guilt washed her over. "Your coffee is getting cold." She said, which closely meant that she was apologizing for not 'talking' to her. _

_"I am sorry." Alice said after a silent while._

_"Don't be. I deserved this snap." Bella stated in an impassive manner and looked out of the open doorway. The view of the garden refreshed her sight a little. _

_"You realize that don't you?" Alice glared and took a small sip; as if it was her attempt to erase the disappointment. "I had a fight with Jasper." "I figured that." Bella said. "What happened?"_

_"Jaz wants a big fat marriage." She said tiredly._

_"I thought you two have already talked about it?"_

_"We did, but now his family is also involved in this, and you know his mom. She's adamant about a traditional and unforgettable kind of marriage." She put her empty coffee mug on the table. "Mom simply can't afford that sort of arrangement what Mrs. Whitlock is looking for. You know how much they pay a senior nurse, it is a good amount for not enough for a family like ours. Mike is still have three years to complete his studies, Jesse is doing a job but it's not enough. How could I possibly pressurize her to arrange a big marriage ceremony?" A while they both girls sat silently. "I talked with Jaz, tried to tell him too; but once I started discussing the matter with him picture of mom gleaming with happiness came into my mind. It's kind of humiliating you know; to discuss a parent's inability with fiancé." Bella looked confused. She has no parents. This is one thing she would never understand even if she employed her best effort to get it._

_"May be you should take some more time?" Alice looked up at Bella's face questioning. Bella took a small pause to finish her coffee and resumed. "Aren't you two getting married too fast? I mean you are just twenty one."_

_"I know. But the decision is made." Alice heaved a sigh. "While deciding this we both were impulsive. We thought we will settle down with each other someday after all, then why not now. It felt the right decision at that time."_

_"And now you think, why now, why so soon." Bella said understandingly, taking the mugs to the sink. She rinsed them with plain tap water. "Are you having second thoughts?"_

_"Not about Jasper, but about the planning, well I am freaking out now. I thought it was our joint decision, so we will get to plan everything. Now suddenly Mrs. Whitlock is all enthusiastic of calling his influential relatives, and Esme is taking all the extra pressure."_

_Bella giggled. "This was kind of obvious for Mrs. Whitlock you know. Jaz is her only son. I didn't know he has rich and influential relatives too? He is so down to earth."_

_Alice sighed and held her head between her hands pressing her forehead. _

_"Wow... You are going to have a lot of fun in your marriage." Bella giggled once again._

_"Wait till yours sweetheart." She mocked Bella._

_"I am just nineteen now, and I have no plans of having a husband shackled in my neck right now." Bella rolled her eyes. "Besides Jake doesn't have any rich businessman or politician relative, so there is no way I will have such problem." She made a funny face. She was too confident about herself._

_"I just hope everything goes well. Really." Alice mumbled._

_"I wish I could help you somehow." Bella said very sincerely. The fun part was over, and they were standing there to face the upcoming series of awkward events. The difficult parts of life as the elders call it. Marriage, family and obligations; and the two girls were too scared to cross the threshold. Their silence filled the hollow space of the living room as they held each other tightly, for the last time before letting go._

_"You cannot help me. Honestly, no one can help me right now but myself." Alice said suppressing a wave of emotions in her chest. "I know the way out, but it leads me and my family to a place where there is nothing else but humiliations sufferings. I can't let that happen." She held Bella's hand with small tears in the brink of her eyes. She was getting engaged tonight, the very first step towards her new life. Silent tears trickled down their faces without letting them know._

**_11th January_**

**_Tuesday, Evening 6.30 pm._**

"I haven't seen Alice for a long time." She exclaims. After getting back, the first person she wants to see is her best friend. She wanders if she is still dealing with her big marriage problem. It takes less than a micro-second for her to remember her last meet with Alice. With her memory her mind obscures with a jumble of various emotions entangled with each other.

"How is she doing? And how is Jasper? Did they fix any date finally?" She asks, inwardly starting with guesses of what will her re-action be once she meets her.

With a slight hesitation, Rosalie hands her a cup of green tea. "She is good. Both of them are good; and very soon getting married."

"Now that is good news." She sips her tea. The hot liquid flows down her throat, sending ripples of refreshment through her tired neurons.

"Yes it is." Rosalie says sternly. Her lack of expressions surprises her. She didn't expect this cold attitude from Rosalie of all people. Among the sisters, Rosalie used to have better affinity with Alice rather than her. Their vibes matched each other perfectly; from chatto movies, or on the rather serious issues, they were always in unison. Sometimes, she used to doubt if Alice is Rosalie's real sister, and she's been adopted.

"Why are you acting like that?" She asks warily. "Am I missing something here?"

No." Reply comes almost abruptly. "It's nothing. I am more concerned about you right now rather than you're crazy friend." The coldness is gone now, but Bella feels a subtle hopelessness in her tone.

"Rose, does she know about me?"

Rosalie shrugs. "She does I guess."

"Is she coming to meet me?"

"I didn't talk to her. She is busy with her pre-nuptial shopping." Rosalie shrugs again and gives her a pill with a glass of water. "I have a lot to talk about with you." Rosalie says and sits in the stool kept beside her bed. "Jake had to leave for Seattle this morning. It was something very important. He will come to see you tomorrow. Till then it's just you and me."

Bella finds her head blank. Sure Rosalie has a lot to talk about, but she has nothing in her bag to share with her except for some realizations, and some shattered pieces of feelings. And she is dubious if she could talk with her about them.

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**_A/N: Thank you all for reading, and following this story. I love you all guys:)_**

**_Feel free to leave your comments, and suggestions, or whatever you like._**

**_See you next time. Till then have fun:)_**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: The parts in italics are Bella's recall from her past. In my last update, I missed to mention that, but I have in this chapter. Hopefully it won't be much confusing anymore...**

_**Disclaimer: Characters belong to their original authors; only the plot is mine...**_

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**~~Chapter 4~~**

**12th January**

**Wednesday, Morning 3.30 am.**

Alice wanted to know if everything was alright. Isabella wipes off a small tear from her left eye. She never realized how to tell people what you are feeling like. She had Rose_,_she had Alice; but she just couldn't open herself up to any of them. If she had, is there any probability to have things happened in a different way?

She crawls out of the bed slowly, and trudges toward the only window in the room. She is lucky to have a good view of the open sky through the window, accompanied by the road that remains empty almost 24x7, except for a few daring people who are defiant enough to take a way which is infamous of being haunted.

A few months back, this road was in the headlines of almost every news channel. She stares blankly on the road. The night she learned of the dead body that was found in that road, she was too scared to listen anything more about it. She couldn't understand how someone could kill a lady that brutally? **"**_Victim is female of mid twenties, died approximately around 12.30 am. Multiple stab wounds, incisions and pierces along with mutilation in sexual regions are found in the body. Strong possibility of sexual assaults..."_The newsreader on the famous news channel was going on and on about what an ugly and horrendous condition the lady was found in.

Her thoughts go blank. Life changes quite soon, even before anyone could feel the changes. For her, the changes came with drastic effects. That reminds her of her previous life. It was a typical life of a nineteen years old girl, having a routine life of college, eating out with friends, and movies; and sometimes taking sneak peeks of a deliciously handsome man. Did her friends miss her? Mike, Jessica, Ian, Sandy... Did anyone tell them anything about her sudden disappearance?

Mind runs in a lightning speed. As soon as she thinks of her disappearance, she starts thinking of him. His husky powerful voice mocks her. _"I told you I'll get you back to your family. And so I did."_

_A couple of months back:_

_Isabella gazed at him with admiration and astonishment. Attired formally in brown blazer and coffee color shirt he looked as her most alluring dream walking on legs. His bronze hair still wet, combed and parted neatly to match his outfit. A sharp pair of green eyes glanced quickly through the rim of his gold tinted framed glasses to find a familiar face._

_It took him just a short instance to locate the very familiar face amidst the busy morning crowd. With a deep inhale his lips curved to form a warm smile._

_She forced a smile too, to welcome the man who was now crossing the road with his long and confident steps and striding towards her. She ignored the fact that his one smile made her heart skip a couple of regular beats; a momentary dizziness erased her consciousness. She was not in her regular self anymore. With every step he was taking towards her, she was turning into the woman who was custom made for this man. She fixated her brown eyes on the face that was now gleaming in front of her._

_"Hey." He said reaching out for her._

_She brought her eyes down to his hand, and concentrated on his fingers. She tried to imagine how it would feel to have those seductive long fingers touching her soft and sensitive skin, stroking, soothing her aching parts those were screaming to be taken some special care of... She missed it when he grabbed her thin waist, suddenly she found herself wrapped tight in his arms. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, declaring his passion and care for her._

_"You know Isabella, my day seems worthless the morning I don't see you." Running those attractive fingers on her brown hair, he said softly. His voice low and moist with emotions. _

_Overwhelmed, she allowed her sight to meet his. He leaned forward to kiss her trembling lips._

_"Isabella."_

_"Hmm?"_

_"Bella?"_

_"Yes."_

_"BELLA!."_

_"What?"_

_A screechy voice snapped her back to the sidewalk, only to discover he was still standing at the opposite side of the road. Startled she looked at her left where a short, dark haired and annoyingly impatient girl was shaking her fiercely._

_"What Alice?" Highly irritated because of the interruption in her daydream, she hissed._

_"What the hell are you looking at?" Alice yelled, darting her eyes around. "Or who the hell are you looking at?"_

_The two girls found themselves looking at a handsome man in his mid thirties standing near a coffee shop, searching for someone._

_Isabella tore her dreamy eyes off hurriedly to keep herself from his sight. She, for very obvious reasons, doesn't want to get caught following him. As soon as she averted her eyes, she realized how unnecessary her attempt to hide herself from him was._

_Professor Edward Masen is not even aware of the existence of a certain Isabella Swan._

_Instead of hiding from him she should be hiding her feelings from Alice, who happened to be the best friend to both her and her sister, and happens to be a good friend of her boyfriend too. She started to trudge along the sidewalk to her destination with Alice following her._

_"Bella are you alright?" She asked, her tone soaked with concern._

_This is the special thing about Alice Brandon - being concerned for each and every person around her; which, proved to be harmful to Bella a couple of times. Almost instinctively she denied of her disorientation, and snorted._

_ "Of course I am alright Alice. Why would you ask that?"_

_"Because you don't look or sound alright." Alice shrugged. "See it's written all over your pretty face that you are not alright."_

_Bella heaved a sigh. She just fantasized of being loved by her handsome neighbor, stole a moment with him that she was supposed to be spending with Jacob. Dream or no dream, that was entirely wrong for someone who is in a committed relationship, and she lied to her best friend about it. Wasn't that a sort of adultery? Could she really be alright afterwards?_

_For once the little Bella inside her screamed to tell Alice everything. "Admit your feelings for Masen Bella. Admit how you feel about Jacob. Say the truth." She screamed impatiently, but almost contemporaneously the grown up Bella impeded her action, reminding how 'the truths' could turn her calm peaceful life upside down._

_No. She could not afford gambling with her life for a person who stands out of her reach._

_And in order to save the normalcy of her life, she needed Alice to stop pestering her._

_"I am a little bit tired. That's it." She said flatly thinking of her sexy Professor._

**Morning 9 am**

A middle-aged nurse hands her the pills, with a glass full of water.

"Where is Rose?" She asks glancing at the wall clock. The visiting hour started half an hour ago and Rosalie still hadn't showed up.

"She's with the doctor. Take your medicines." A commanding bark comes from her. She at once follows her command and swallows the pills. A bitter taste burns her throat and makes her contort her face.

"Do I get discharge today?" Curious of what Rosalie might be talking about with the doc, she fails to control her inquisitiveness. She looks at the nurse expectantly. The nurse shows a sheer disinterest to reply her back. "Excuse me?"

"Better you talk to your doctor and sister." The nurse says grimly, completing her regular chores of testing her blood pressure, medications, and some other vital reports.

Disgruntled, Bella observes the nurse closely. She is a healthy lady in her mid-thirties, with no signs of being married. Her oval face looks grim, reddish brown hair tied neatly in a clean knot. Her every move reflects her confidence, and control over her emotions. She is perfectly detached, but not cold in that sense. Although she appeared uninvolved and stolid when she interacted with Bella, she notices surprisingly that she actually has started liking her. _Good_. She thinks. Not getting too much involved with patients. Not prying. Not being too much affected or attentive either. She is good. Better than the young one._ What was her name again?_She searches the name in the database stored in her memory. _Angela. Yes right. It was Angela._

"So how is our beautiful Isabella feeling this morning?" Dr. Cullen comes smiling brightly. He looks like an old man full of affection and care, reminding her of her grandfather. It's been ten years since he died. His demise was the greatest loss in her life, after her parents died in the cursed car crash when she was only a toddler. She hardly remembers her parents now.

She greets the doctor with a genuine smile.

"Good morning."

"Good morning my child." Dr. Cullen browses through her reports. The nurse says something in a low inaudible manner, more like informing him. The doctor nods appreciating.

"I am fine today." She says. Rosalie enters the room panting, holding packets of medicine and fruits in her hands. _Were she running or what?_ Bella gives her a funny face and resumes to what she was going to ask. "Can I go home doctor?"

"Well..." The doctor lifts his gaze from the papers to meet hers."Your report seems well. Your condition too has improved a lot. You are most likely fit now." He takes a pause and glances towards Rosalie circumspectly, making Bella alert for the upcoming 'But'.

The situation is going to get tough now. She thinks.

* * *

**_A/N: Next part a shocking fact will come up, something that is related to Bella's past. Will post asap, so be with me:)_**

**_Thank you all for reading, and adding this story in their Favorite/alert list. I love you all:)_**

**_Feel free to leave your comments, and suggestions, or whatever you like._**

**_See you next time:)_**


	5. Chapter 5

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, or anything publicly recognizable that is mentioned in this story._**

* * *

**~~Chapter 5~~**

**Morning 9.45 am...**

"There are some injuries in your body those are pretty deep and could cause serious ill-effects to your health. Before releasing you I need to make sure they are perfectly cured."

Rosalie darts her eyes uncomfortably between her and Dr. Cullen; the subject coming up in their conversation now was abstained to discuss in front of Bella until now. Bella, with a quick dexterity of her mind precipitates a decision and outlines a short story she is going to need very soon.

"Isabella I need to ask you something. I know it's a bit awkward, but you must answer me truthfully. Is that ok?" Dr. Cullen asks delicately sitting beside her, she nods quietly. "Now listen to me carefully and answer after thinking about it very well. It's important." He keeps prolonging the conversation in order to avoid the inelegance of the situation.

"You can ask me whatever it is. I will try to answer them as best as I can." She assures. Doctor looks relieved, though the tensed expression takes its place back on his face almost immediately.

"Have you been abused in any way in the last couple of days when you were..." He stops in the middle of his question; though his face looks impassive the awkwardness shows itself in his eyes.

"No show?" Bella helps him find out a word suggesting her absence, and smiles lightly. She looks fixedly at his sharp attentive eyes. Silence comes down the white walls of the room. From her periphery she notices the nurse is gone.

"No." She emphasizes on the word. "I have not been abused in any way." She keeps her voice firm and steady.

"Were you sexually assaulted within this period?" He asks watching her intently, she finds herself perilously absorbed in his rapt attention.

She looks away to keep herself from wrapping her mind up in his intelligent ways to inquire things. Rosalie looks at her, anxiety and worry written on her face. _Did they find anything dubitable? How could they while she was treated so well?_She curses inwardly and composes herself before speaking.

"No. Nothing that wrong happened with me." She moves her head from left to right forcefully.

"Could you explain these wounds?" Dr. Cullen asks curtly, his face shows his disbelief.

"I fell down. I was running and I stumbled on something. That's how I got these wounds."

**Afternoon 2.35 pm.**

"You understand the gravity of the situation?" The question comes from the investigating officer seated in front of her. Isabella nods glancing at Rosalie from the corner of her eyes.

"Yes I do." She says calmly, and then gawks at the man.

After the doctor was done with his questioning round and regular checkups, her sister started her own version of questionnaires. She was not flexible at all. She kept on shooting one after one question to her, which indirectly helped her make the story perfect. She rehearsed the story over and over, until she was satisfied and fully confident to face the investigator. She was all prepared.

What she was not prepared for, was the person who came to 'talk' with her. She had known Emmett McCarty from a very young age. She had also known him to be working in the crime branch of police, but nobody informed her that it was him working on her case. She had no clue.

"Does not my case belongs to another department?" She asks him in a plain flat voice. "Last time we met, you were chasing some psycho killer." A collage of various disturbing images sticking onto it appears in her vision, which drifts away with a pair of dark brown eyes staring at her amusingly.

"I still am, and that is why I am here. The way you disappeared has a very strong resemblance with the way the other girls disappeared. Also we have detected a few more thing that hints to a connection between your missing case and the murders." Emmett states.

"Except for the part that I was found alive, in a smart and perfectly working condition?" She teases.

"That is the part of this puzzle we are trying to solve here." He says formally, though his face shows a hue of mild consternation. Being highly conscious of his history with her sister, Bella wonders how much of this visit is caused by a professional affair. "So can you tell me what happened that night?"

"Yes, I will try." She speaks firmly, but her efforts to keep her composure while speaking of that night seems weak.

"I was tired and exhausted. So, I left the hotel and went for a walk. I was walking by the road when I saw some vehicle running at a great speed. I was scared so I started to run. But still then the vehicle hit me."

"Why were you scared?" He shoots her a sharpened and investigative look, the sort of look that personifies his ingenious profile of a renowned Cop.

"I don't know. The road was dark and empty, and a lot of things were going on inside my head. I freaked out when I suddenly saw the headlights on the road."

"So you got hit." He says as if making a mental note. "Can you locate the exact spot where you got hit?"

"No. It was the road behind the hotel; I don't know what it called. There was no land mark or road sign, so I cannot tell you that. The place was surrounded by trees and empty grounds." She says, her sight roams on her sister's impassive face. Emmett made sure no one gets to enter the room but his associate a short heighted middle-aged man, and Rosalie.

"The whole road is surrounded by trees and open lands." The middle-aged man, named James mutters.

"What happened next?" Emmett asks.

"I think I went unconscious because I don't remember much after that. Someone saved me. I couldn't remember any contact details too, which is no one informed them." She gestures to Rosalie. "Though I am positive they have tried to get in touch with my family or anyone I know."

"Can you identify them who **saved**you?" He asks adding an extra punch to the word 'saved'. "Did they arrange medical help for you?"

"Yes they did. Even they called a doctor. He was too worried about my ailing condition."

"He?" Emmett asks abruptly. "Who is He?"

All three people in the room looks at her, their faces change immediately as they finally hear something that could help them solving the riddle.

_Shit_.

* * *

**_A/N: Thank you all fro reading, and adding this story in your favorite/alert list. It means a lot._**

**_Suggestions and reviews would be great. In fact, reviews are something that makes me go for the next chapter... So please hit the review button :)_**

**_See you next time :)_**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Characters belong to their original authors; only the plot is mine...**

* * *

**~~Chapter 6~~**

**Afternoon 3 pm…**

She stops herself at once. Nobody needs to know about him, even though she would give anything to talk about him. She wishes very much to speak of him, how he used to take care of her, how well he treated her, how he got anxious one night when she suddenly woke up having an excruciating pain in her abdomen. He drove all night to get her checked by a doctor. She very much wanted to tell everyone how he was staring at her while she was enduring the stings of injection and the intense agony spreading in her body. Those eyes were afflicted by insufferable heartache and guilt. But she knew she couldn't talk about these feelings, or these experiences. Any wrong emotion driven step made by her could cause a hugely burdensome problem for him; for both of them. She could not afford any sort of botheration now, not before 20th. After that, she doesn't care of anything. But right now, she needs a strong enough story to explain herself.

"There was a man. He was caring. But I don't know his name. Those days were kind of hazy." She says keeping her eye on Rosalie, who seem tensed.

"How did you end up in the park bench?" Emmett raises his voice a little.

"All I could remember is I was walking alone. They left me to fetch some tea for themselves and I started walking. The park and the bench looked known to me. I was sitting there."

Emmett and Inspector James Cooper discuss a few words in a low inaudible manner. Cooper nods impertinence stains Emmett's face. She stares at them, and then at Rosalie. Rosalie rubs her face with her palm in order to deal with the strange weirdness and tension building up in the room.

"Isabella, are you sure nothing else happened with you apart from what you just said?" Emmett says seriously. Bella catches the professional intonation as he calls her using her formal name.

"Of course I am."

Finally the question comes which she was waiting for the whole time.

It was the question that could change a lot of things. She knows she is going to take an expedient way to mould things according to her. She knew it from the very moment she talked with Dr. Cullen. Yet she has no other option left but using the contrivance to cut off the questioning part.

"The doctors have found some injuries in your body those do not look accidental at all. How will you explain them?" Emmett inspects narrowing his eyes, his voice heats a little.

_This is illegal._The voice in her head screams. Withholding truth or proofs, is considered as a serious legal offense.

"I fell down. The car or whatever it was, did hit me pretty hard." she sounds cool to herself.

"These wounds look more like incisions or cuts made purposely using some sharp object. Some of them are found in..." He breathes in awkwardly, "... intimate parts of your body. Would you call them accidental too?"

His palpable mistrust towards her hits her ruthlessly, causing an aversion as well as a fear build up in her system. Emmett is too intelligent to misguide. If he suspects her lying, which most likely he has, she cringes with the probability of what he could do with it. She gasps for some support within herself. In the exterior she manages to maintain the composed and confident gesture. Rosalie had cautioned her earlier apprising of the nature of the questions that could come up in the session; and she had planned everything perfectly- what to tell them and what not. Still when Emmett broached the topic she realized how difficult it is. She remains speechless for a moment looking at her own hands before answering him. She sees the bluish-green nerves pulsating in her wrist.

Rosalie clears her throat to break the obstinate silence in the room. Isabella remains quiet. She hears the rhythmic tick-tock of the clock as moments pass by.

"Pieces of glass could cause them. There were plenty, shattered from the vehicle when it hit me." She says finally, her voice sounds tremulous to herself.

_This is not good Bella._She scolds to herself. _This is so not good._ She took a vow to protect the person they are suspecting to be a killer. She must make sure he stays protected. Because the man she is trying to defend is not the killer Emmett looking for. That man could never cause any harm to any living being. _Edward..._ She suppresses a sigh coming up from her chest. She has to be steady.

"Are you sure about this? Cause..."

"Look." Bella interrupts Emmett with an abrupt reply. "I know exactly what you want to hear, or what you are suspecting. But you really should trust me. Nothing wrong happened with me apart from the accident. I have NOT been abused or assaulted, neither mentally, nor physically. I am back, and I am fine." She softens her voice watching the hard expressions in Emmett's face. Rosalie and Cooper on the other hand looked utterly embarrassed. She strives to convince them.

"You've got to trust me, both of you."

**Evening 5.30 pm...**

"Do you think we are stupid that you will tell us some story and we will believe them?" Rosalie yells at her.

"Why are you shouting Rose?" Bella widens her eyes surprised by her sudden outburst.

"Because you are doing things you really shouldn't do. Why the hell are you not telling the truth?" Rosalie composes herself repeating the same lines she had said earlier this morning, when Bella told her 'everything'. She finds no arguable point in the whole story, even though somewhere in her mind she is quite reluctant to believe in it. She couldn't believe in a vehicle that showed up from nowhere and chased her sister, and then hit her. The people who saved Bella, who were they? They certainly took very good care of her. Her beautiful face and good health were signaling her well being. What she said about the shattered glasses, and her injuries... They didn't sound that bad either.

What is it then, bugging her from inside?

There is somewhere a pang of disbelief that is creating a disturbing bitterness in her mouth. There is something she is unsure about, that is like a nettle stinging her continuously. Isabella is changed. Its a huge, yet subtle change only she could feel. The last words she said to Emmett rings in her ear._I am back, and I am fine._

She is back, and she is fine undoubtedly. But she is not the same girl who went missing ninety days ago.

"Rose, why is it so difficult for you to believe in me?" Bella asks innocently, her lips trembling.

She trembled too. How could she point out her difficulty to Isabella when she cannot point it out for herself? Her hearts sinks. These are the times when she misses mom the most. When she left them, Bella was a toddler just a five years old kid. Rosalie, being ten years older than her, took her responsibility before anyone else could interfere. She didn't believe her relatives, whom they met only once or twice, discussing and arguing over the matters mostly related to business and properties. She did believe in grandpa though, who came forward to take the two newly orphaned sisters, but still she was alert. Grandpa was an old man, who needed care for himself. Fifteen years old Rosalie had decided to become everything Isabella need, a father, a mother, a big sister, a brother, and most of all a friend. But today she feels it was not enough. She was not enough.

She hugs her baby sister tightly after a long period. She hugs her and starts crying. "I missed you." She whispers, and sobs.

"I missed you too." Bella says, clinging to her shoulder like the same kid she was ten years ago.

The two sisters went on crying, letting out all their pains and frustrations. Every single hint of fear and doubt washes away with the warm string of salt water. The lump that made their chest heavy melts with them.

The girls went on crying until they hear a footstep near the door. Someone clears their throat.

"You know, I missed you too."

* * *

**_A/N:_**

**_Thank you all for reading, and adding this story in their Favorite/alert list. I love you all :)_**

**_Feel free to leave your comments, and suggestions, or whatever you like._**

**_See you next time :)_**


	7. Chapter 7

**In case if any of you get confused while reading, the part written in Italics is a memory from Bella's past.**

**Disclaimer: Characters belong to their original authors, only the plot is mine...**

* * *

**~~Chapter 7~~**

**Evening 6 pm...**

Jacob stands in the threshold holding a large packet in his hands. His face holds a big smile, and his eyes moistened.

"Come on in." Rosalie throws a wet smile to him. "You two talk I'll be back in a while." She wipes off the traces of tear from her face and rises from the bed.

"Here" Jacob hands her a pack of tissue.

"Thanks." Rosalie pulls out a handful of them in her hand and walks out of the room sniffling.

"You can take some too." Jacob delivers a flirty smile to the one he was craving to see. His nervousness flutters inside his stomach remembering the evening she refused to recognize him. He stands by the bed balancing the packet in his left hand, and tissues in the other.

"Why don't you keep that packet somewhere and sit down?" Bella sniffles and takes the whole pack of tissues in her hands.

Jacob smiles awkwardly and looks around. He spots a chair; the same one Emmett was seated in. He grabs it and sits down.

"What is in that packet?" Bella says, watching him still holding the brown paper pouch holding dearly against his chest.

"Its... umm... Something I got for you." He slowly hands the pouch over to her, and waits for her to look inside. She screams with joy as she pulls out a soft toy from it.

She shrieks. "OMG Jacob..."

"You like it?" He asks, still nervous and hesitant.

"Like it? I LOVE it Jacob." She beams, her eyes glows with excitement, face reddens a bit displaying her happiness. Her glee clears out the constant nervousness that was disturbing him since forty eight long and painful hours. _"I need to say him that I lov_e him..." His guts shrink painfully inside remembering the line she was repeating over and over while sedated.

"Thank you Jacob, you remember my favorites even after such a long time."

He snaps his head up to see her face. "Long time? It's just been three months?" He cannot help but show his amazement.

"Is it?" Bella looks lost in her thoughts.

He waits for her to speak first. But she is still too engrossed in her thoughts, that barely she registers his presence in the room. He feels brushed off, as if he has nothing to do with this girl lying before him. The Bella he loves would bounce by now, in high spirits after spending three months away from him. He observes her, staring at the panda, her look vacant.

After waiting for some time, he breaks the silence. "Bella?"

"Huh?" She breaks her trance.

"How are you?"

"I am fine." She says. He gives her an affectionate look. She adds up. "They are not letting me go. Can you please talk to the doctor and Rose? I want to go home."

"Yes I know. Rosalie told me." He replies looking around for Rosalie. She was crying while she left. Both the girls were. He intends to ask her the reason what made them cry, but he realizes that he already knows the reason. He intends to ask her about a lot of things, but he remembers spotting Emmett's car outside the hospital, with the sign of police department fixed on it. He wonders if asking anything now would be right.

Speaking with his girl friend, whom he knew for last three years, seems pretty difficult. He finds words in his heads, safe but caring words to start a conversation.

"So she was in touch with you." She exclaims. "Of course she was. Was it a business trip?"

"No. It was Leah. She needed me for her son's admission." He had told her about his sister's divorce. He hopes silently that she remembers them.

"Oh. How is she doing?" She runs her hand over the panda's soft fur.

"They are doing well. She was worried about you. I told her not to, and that you are fine."

"You did right." She yawns. "Excuse me." She smiles embarrassing.

"It's ok. Maybe I should leave." He says. His heart aches badly for her attention.

"No please don't get this wrong Jacob. It was a long day today you know. I am feeling tired now." She says remorsefully. "But I wish to talk to you. It's just..." She lowers her head down to hide the surge of embarrassment.

"Take some rest. I will talk to the doc and see if we could get you discharged soon." He lefts placing a soft caring kiss on her forehead. "Take care of yourself ok. I'll come and see you tomorrow." He rises from the chair and makes his way to the door.

"Jacob?" She calls him loudly. He turns to face her.

"Thank you." She smiles like the old Bella.

"Good night Bella."

**Night 9 pm...**

"I can handle myself." She says to the grim nurse. Just as she did in the morning, she refuses to respond, and keep escorting her to the bathroom. She stops on her track. "I said I can handle." She stares at the nurse's gloomy expressionless face. The nurse reluctantly takes a step back and waits outside. Bella slides in.

"It may take me sometime. I am going to take a shower." She says loudly, without wasting any more time she slides inside and shuts the door behind her.

It's cold. She shivers as she looks up to the shower. The anticipation of warm water flowing down her body, washing away the fatigue stored in the surface of her whitish skin eases her a bit.

Until Emmett's dubious look comes into her mind.

It's going to be difficult for her. Today she managed to cope with the situation only with the help of her determined volition. But she is still not sure how she would convince Rosalie. For what she knows of her sister's nature, once getting settled emotionally she will bring it up again. The two hours with Emmett replying his irksome series of questions, some of which felt genuinely disturbing, was iffy. But the way Rosalie kept looking at her the whole time and her sudden outburst in the evening, they just corroborated her guess that speaking with her is going to be much more long and disruptive.

Engrossed in herself, she starts pulling the cotton outfit Rosalie had brought for her over her head. She searches for something to hang her clothes, and a mid length mirror catches her eye. She sees at the glass, and a short lean girl looks back at her. Her long brown wavy hair hangs carelessly. She narrows her eye to catch the reflection, but the mirror doesn't show her any clear image. For a fraction of second she makes an effort to look down her body, find out the 'wounds' they are making fuss of. Next moment she stops herself. The day was long and tormenting enough to drive her insane. All she needs now is a hot shower.

"Bella tell me if you need anything. I am sitting here." Rosalie says tapping on the door.

"Are you going to stay tonight?" She asks, keeping her eyes fixed on the mirror.

"Yes. I have talked to Dr. Cullen; you will get your discharge by tomorrow evening. Until then I am going to stay with you."

"Oh." She says flatly. "Okay."

She turns on the shower and steps under the continual flow of lukewarm water. The water wets her scalp releasing the heavy piles of tension from her head. She feels her hair wetting slowly, the water flowing down her neck and shoulders. She raises her face and the water starts falling joyfully on her face. She holds the wall to keep her balance, letting the water do magic with her tensed nerves.

...

_He brought a washcloth with him. She looked at him surprised, her hands barricading her breasts in a feeble attempt to cover her modesty. The thought of her being completely naked with him heated her cheeks, even though there was nothing he hadn't seen. She fought the overpowering urge to close her eyes, just to follow what he was venturing into. He had his works to be done, classes to attend, it was not a time for him to spend with her. Still he was there, standing a couple of feet away from her. She kept looking at him, as he took his shirt off. His chiseled abs invited her, so did his well toned biceps and broad shoulder. She drew in a big gulp of the strawberry scented air to control the animal tossing and turning fiercely inside her. A whiff of his powerful smell made her senses even more attentive towards him._

_She didn't expect her body to react such dangerously after the brutal experience she had twenty four hours back. He was just standing in front of her, and she was already feeling like a hungry beast._

_He opened a cupboard and took out two new bottles from it. From the packaging she recognized the expensive brands of body wash and shampoo. With the bottles in one hand and wash cloth in the other he walked back to her, his eyes avoiding hers. Losing control completely, the raging fire in her belly compelled her to close her eyes. She held back her breath to hide the thrill that had been titillating her for some time now. She didn't notice how the expectancy of his next move was shaking her violently._

_"Stand still." Stood behind her, he commanded in his rasp authoritative tone. Extremely turned on, she tried her best not to move._

_He squirted a large amount of shampoo in his hand, and applied that gently on her wet hair. She felt goose bumps on her skin as his long fingers worked gently on her scalp, letting her libidinous fantasies grow wilder with each of his tender touch. He massaged her scalp, and came down disentangling the knots on her muddy dirt clad hair._

_"Relax." He ordered again, now with a mild hue of softness. His fingers brushed the skin of the backside of her neck. He might have pressed a switch hidden somewhere there, she eventually eased off herself. He took the hand shower and rinsed the thick leather off her hair._

_"You have beautiful hair." He said, more like exclaiming to himself._

_A small smile of satisfaction curled her thin pink lips. He noticed, although he admitted it after taking quite a long time. Generally her hair is the first thing people notice in her, but anyway... "Thanks." She muttered inhaling the strawberry fragrance coming off her hair._

_He took a big amount of body wash in the wet wash cloth, and started with her shoulder. Needing better access to her skin, he moved her hair aside holding them lightly, driven by the increasing crave for more of his touch she helped him. She put the heavy bundle of wet hair on her left shoulder as he started scrubbing her. She glanced at him savoring the feeling of the sweet fire burning her inches by inches._

_"Thank you, Edward." She said out loud._

_"I already heard you thanking me." He paid a short shrift to her words, and stated._

_"But this time it was not for the compliment." She said, taking a passive way to push him to meet her gaze. Baffled a bit, he lifted his dark eyes again. "Thank you for...this." She gestured him holding her firmly, cleaning up her unkempt body._

_"Don't need to thank me." He said and went back into his previous position and scrubbing her skin. His hands went working, applying small amounts of pressure in some places, soft touch in some he went on cleansing the impurities. It was a slow and blissful process, watching his muscles flexing with each of his movements, feeling the flames flickering every time his skin came in contact to her. The water dampened his hair and his amazingly sculpted body, giving him a perfect demigod look. She wouldn't be surprised if someone whispers his supernatural ability of stupefying people and setting them aflame into her own ears._

_That single idea made another staunchly, but electrifying thought storm into her mind. How hypnotic, how erotic it would be to have that powerful and extremely male voice talking sex in her ears? She once had the experience of phone sex, the remembrance embarrassed her at once. Had she known of this gorgeous man at that time, she definitely wouldn't even think of trying such things. Being with Edward just made her old experience look filthy._

_Suddenly she made a low shrill. He hurriedly moved his hands off her._

_"Did I hurt you?" He sounded concerned and unsure. "I mean the..."_

_She nodded her head stopping him. A long wound in her left hand side, starting below her shoulder-blade and ending at her waist burned badly as small amount of leather slipped inside the wound. It was fresh, not gaping anymore because of the ailments she got last night, but the burning and the stinging pain was still there, snapping her from her dreamy state. She contorted her face and tried to look back. For natural reasons, she failed to look into in._

_"Wait." He said, and washed the place without making any physical contact. He scrutinized the wound and commented. "It looks alright now." He then asked having a mild tone of doubt. "Is it still burning?"_

_She shook her head from left to right. It was still burning, but not the wound to be honest. Being pampered by a man she considered her very own contemporary and versatile version of Adonis was a dream she had envisioned for almost a year now, however her ineptitude at the moment was not something she dreamt of. It irritated her, how she was standing breathless, motionless in front of him, and he was creating a strong intangible illusion with each of his movements. It was very real, and at the same time an extremely chimerical time. To get rid of her clumsiness she focused on getting to some small talks._

_"Strawberry!" She drawled lazily._

_"I figured you like strawberry." Edward said._

_"How did you figure that?" She sounded honestly surprised, as she never revealed her beauty secrets with this man._

_"You had strawberry in your hair." As if it was a classified matter, he said in a hushed tone._

_"Well I don't_**_like_**_strawberry. It was just a happenstance. I didn't find my brand anywhere, and was almost forced to buy this."_

_He looked down at her face. "You have very strong sense likes and dislikes, don't you?" She flushed._

_"Not like I dislike strawberry, it's not my favorite or anything." She mumbles._

_"What's your favorite then?" He asked casually washing her back._

_"Umm... I don't have any particular favorite. I like orange flavor, chocolate, sometimes lavender..."_

_"Turn." He instructed, the same demanding tone echoed in the soft blue marble of the bathroom._

_A clumsy bashfulness crept through her body, making her numb in every inch of her skin. She wavered between joy and embarrassment. "I can handle it from here." She tried to convince him, and sounded hopelessly incompetent to her own years._

_Edward frowned. "I don't think you can." He said. "Turn."_

* * *

**_A/N: My first attempt to write a shower scene, and I tried my best. Though I am not certain how I have done. So please review._**

**_Also thank you readers for adding this story in your favorite/alert list. But it would be very nice of you if you could leave a short review too. It helps me understand how the story is actually going you know...:))_**

**_Have a great weekend guys..._**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bella, Edward or any other character mentioned here. Only the story line belongs to me.**

* * *

**~~Chapter 8~~**

_Cursing herself she obeyed him, searching for an appropriate excuse of giving in every time he ordered her to do something. Frustration built up in her cells, as well as the crackling electricity that jerked him too as soon as she faced him. He stood still for a fraction of a second looking at the full and luscious display of her taut bosom. He remained speechless, aggrandizing darkness and hunger in his eyes spoke for him. His ears reddened at the sight, and his fastened breath screamed his desire to touch her, to gorge on her._

_The strength and dominant control over himself came back almost simultaneously, he forced himself from looking at her bare breasts. He looked away hastily, as if the show horrified him. He started applying the rich creamy leather on her._

_She was watching him intently. She wanted to know if he was assuredly untouched by the sensation that was killing her brutally. The ephemeral flash in his expression satisfied her; also it thrilled her at the same time. He might be older than her, He might be way more experienced in the amorous way, but behind this tough and always-in-control exterior he was trembling too, the same violent way she was. He scrubbed her hands, neck, and stomach having immense pressure to desist the sight of her hardened breasts. It became impossible, as he made his way towards her chest, carefully avoiding one deeper wound between her breasts. She inhaled sharply, it was not a deliberate move though, and suddenly his cool moistened skin brushed her firm, teasing nipples. He shuddered and closed his eyes, and stood forcefully. She wished to look at him, to look whether the inexorable needy, hungry beast in him is awake too. Her dignity refrained her from doing so. How could she act so desperately, especially with the man she was in love with? She kept her eyes closed, head lowered, waiting for him to say something. Or better, to do something._

_With him caressing her feet she shot her eyes open. He was kneeled down in front of her, washing her legs. She threw her head back anticipating his touch on the throbbing, aching part of her body. She was too moistened for his one touch down there. "Why the hell is he acting like a dumbass?" She thought. With that, a lump in her throat appeared forthwith. It could be easy for a man like him to ignore such stimulus lust. But it was agonizing to her. Every part of her was yearning for him, driving her crazy, pushing to a level of being a maniac. And there he was, kneeling before her, cleansing her._

_A powerful surge of shedding tears, screaming and yelling at him shook her violently. He was done, on his way to finish the bathing-ritual when she, losing the last bit of control, groused._

"_Am I that unattractive?" She tried to speak loudly being chagrined by his odd behavior, but her voice sank._

"_What?" He glanced, confused, holding a towel in his hand._

"_I am aware of your divine intentions of evading me. I also understand your attempt keeping up this perpetual negligence towards me. I just don't understand why?" she gasped for some air._

_Mortified by this unexpected accusation, he stood dumbstruck as she went on rambling and sobbing._

_She jutted her chin up, she wouldn't let it go. "Cause last night it didn't seem so intolerable to you..."_

_He looked as if enduring an ample amount of pain watching her sobbing. "Stop it." He grumbled, and walked to her on spur of a moment. Taking her on his strong arms he prevented her from falling, as her knees were wobbling badly after all the agitation she had undergone, those caused by the incessant desire he had ignited within, and her precipitate outburst. She looked at his face, slightly surprised by his change in behavior. He wrapped her up in his arms cocooning her small petite body with his, and pressed his hot famished lips on hers. The contact send her fast pounding heart on the verge of exploding, she stiffened._

"_Don't you dare talk to me like that Bella. You don't know what you are doing." He groaned. With the forceful power he wielded, he made her sigh with relief. She relaxed herself instantaneously, relinquished to his frenzied maneuver she let him dip his tongue and taste her in long compelling licks. She felt his heart beating furiously against hers. "You are causing trouble for both of us." He hissed and deepened the kiss. Cupping her head and the curves in her posterior he lifted her off her feet, torturing her mouth using his best effective movements..._

**13th January**

**Thursday, morning 9 am...**

"Wake up you sleepyhead." She hears Rosalie yelling, shaking her violently.

"What is it now?" She groans. "Let me sleep please."

"It's 9 o'clock already. God you are still so lazy." Rosalie says. "Get up and I will deliver good news."

"What? Tom Cruise sent me a get-well-soon card?" She sarcasms.

"Better. You will get to go home today."

"What?" Shocking, she jerks on her bed. "Seriously?" She asks astounded.

"Seriously. The doctors have found you fine, and also we have talked with Emmett. So you're free to go home." She gloats.

Bella narrows her expressions. "_We_ talked?"

"Yeah, me and Jacob. He is such a nice guy. You are so lucky to have him in your life." Rosalie says while cleaning up her bed. "Now go and freshen up. Dr. Cullen will be here at any moment."

"Why?" She asks.

"What why?" Rosalie lifts her head. "Dr. Cullen? He has to check you once again my dear sis." She pushes her away from the comfortable bed. "Go now."

The news was absolutely unexpected. After having a tiresome day yesterday, she was hoping for a calm time today. What does she should be reacting like right now? She looks at her mirror image and questions herself. Her sister's sheer joy and happiness is palpable, Jacob most certainly is feeling the same way too. She herself waited for a long time to go home contemplating how amazing it would be like to go back to the safest and most guarded piece of earth. She expected herself to be mirthful again once they permit her to leave. But now too much to her miscalculation, a huge tide of confusion and uncertainty is flustering her.

She chides herself and shakes the perplexed emotions off her head. The most awaited moment is standing before her, and she is supposed to cherish the freedom she is going to have very soon. She will be in her room, the place she designed with so much affection and care. Her garden, ablaze with the brightness of seasonal flowers...

"_You will live in this room. And by 'live' in this room I mean you will have access to this room only." Edward said staring down at her. "You will not roam around the house or touch anything without my permission."_

_It was a sunny morning. In the bright sunbeam she appraises the room. It was large enough to accommodate one big bed, a built-in wardrobe with a full length mirror attached to it, a small study station with an antique wooden table and a chair to pair with it. Several wall sculptures inspired by folklore and ancient myths embellished the walls, and faded paint enriched the way it looked. An old charm created an abstruse appeal in each corner of the room. As insane as it may sound, she felt millions of stories are hidden in those walls. From the visible mis-arrangement she could tell it hadn't been used for quite a while._

"_Whose room was this?" She asked peering over the only window. It was a large and lofty window that captured most part of the eastern wall. She looked at a garden in the ground from her exciting new space in first floor._

"_This was my room." He said touching a painting hung in near the bed. A young girl holding a basket full of flowers smiled at them. "She was my sister. I made this as a surprise birthday gift." He looked at the girl; a mournful sorrow darkened his handsome features._

_Bella walked back to the painting, looking for any resemblance in the faces of the child and the grown up man. They had nothing in common but the smile. "She is beautiful." She whispers. "Where is she now?"_

_He snapped back to his impassive self._

"_I got the place cleaned. But you will have to do the rest by yourself." He made his way to exit. He turned back for a short instance before leaving. "You may change a thing or two, but only in this room."_

"Bella are you sleeping again?" Rosalie shouts. "Make it fast baby."

"I'll be out in a moment." She shouts back. "Stop shouting."

"I am going to the front-desk. There are some formalities to be done before checking out."

"Go." She says.

_A loud bark of a crazy dog tore her dreamy state. She climbed out of the feathery soft comfort of her bed and lumbered to the window. The evening sky looked dark blue from where she stood. The eager bark and his deep cheerful voice invited her to look down._

"_Come here Bosky." Edward rubbed his hand over the Labrador's head, gently caressing the fur._

_It was one of those fortunate times when he smiled, genuine and blithesome smile, a pair of delightful dimples slit his cheeks enrapturing her. "You want some water baby? Are you tired?"_

_He laughed out loud, as Bosky licked his face. The dog wagged its tail, gratified by his tender care. It started sniffing his shirt, pushing its nose into the denim apparel. "What are you looking for huh?" He smiled playing with its ears. Bosky, relished his touch in its ear bending to its side. "You want to know whose smell it is in my shirt. It's an angel. You know angels?"_

_His words hit her; she narrowed her eyes to get a better look at the shirt. The blue denim shirt was the one he gave her to wear the other night. A heated blush crept along her cheeks. She stared coyly at the man with his companion._

_The intelligent animal gave him a knowing look and wagged its tail. "Fallen from grace. We need to get her back to her realm. You and me we'll do it together. Ok?" He went on saying. "She should not be here with us. She must go back. Isn't it?" The speechless creature started licking him again, he laughed. "Hey hey I am not going to send YOU anywhere. Stop it Bosky." He continued laughing until he lifted his gaze up towards her window. The sight of her watching them flustered him, he stood up slowly._

She wipes her face with a towelette and throws the soft branded piece of clothe carelessly in her hospital bed. Rosalie cleaned the bed and did the packing before leaving the room. She looks at the black duffel bag kept by the bedside. Her panda is sitting on the chair, twinkling its eyes.

"All set?" She turns to meet Jacob at the door.

'Hmm..." She nods and searches for something.

"Looking for something?" Jacob steps inside.

"My hair brush. You, by any chance, won't know where she kept it. Would you?" She says browsing through the bag.

"Check the side pockets." He says resting a hand in the chair. She looks arching her brow. "I was here when she packed everything. You didn't hear us talking?" He looks surprised.

"I didn't..." Her mind drifts off him. She didn't pay any short shrift to the outer world. Like a robot she takes out the brush, starts entangling her hair, brushing away the unkempt look. Within a minute, her shining healthy waves are back. She pays attention to her face, the mirror allows her watch Jacob who she finds, is intently watching her. "You want to say anything?" She says looking at his reflection.

"Are you happy?" He asks, she halts her movement abruptly.

"What made you ask that?"

"I don't know." He runs his hand on his neck in a clumsy way. "You are not looking happy. It is as if something biting you."

She goes dumb. Could she tell him what is forcing her to act like this?

No. That doesn't sound like a good idea.

"It's been awhile I..." She inhales. "I am kind of nervous." She turns to face him. "Three months. That's a long period to stay away from home."

"Ninety five days to be exact, counting yesterday." Jacob nods. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine."

**Thursday, morning 11 am...**

"So you are leaving today. Feeling good?" Dr. Cullen ushers in spreading bright smile. What is so joyful happening here? She tries to smile back. The nurse walks in, her face displays a stern look as always.

"I need to get to my office for a while. I'll be back around 3.30. Will you stay here till then?" Rosalie says to Jacob. They used to hate each other three years back, when Jacob was just another guy Bella knew, and Rosalie was an annoying over-protective sister. She is still the annoying over-protective sister, but there was a nice friendship and understanding between them now.

"No one needs to stay here with me. You may go." She says, looking at Jacob's hesitating attitude. "Just leave me a book or something."

"I am going to be fine. Besides these people are here too." She gestures to the nurse and doctor. Her likes and dislikes do not matter; these people are always here to check on her.

Jacob and Rosalie waver between what to do and what not. Dr. Cullen observes each of the faces cautiously and assures. "She's right. We will take care of her. You may go and finish your works first."

"See." She shrugs.

After fifteen minutes, she finds herself alone in the room browsing through the pages of her favorite love story. Jane Austen proves to be useless, as an odd unidentified struggle left her mood ruined. She tosses the book in her bed, and lazily saunters in the room. She hears a familiar chirpy sound out her room, and halts. She waits prior to the owner of the voice to enter the room. But she doesn't.

The young nurse keeps on chirping and crosses her room. Noting her absence in her room, she surmises her disappointment on her. She was rude, visibly affronting towards her. She reckons what she wanted to talk about. It was just her supreme level of curiosity what made her pry. May be she was not that bad at all?

She should talk to her before leaving the hospital premises. She convinces herself. Her ill-manner leads her throwing some bad attitudes to the nurse, and the words she said, well they were slightly defamatory. Bella runs to the doorway before the nurse leaves the vicinity of her room.

"Angela?"

Angela stops on the mid-way and turns deftly. Spotting Bella she widens her eyes again, and without a delay controls herself.

"Are you busy?" Bella asks.

"Do you need anything?" She remains standing in the same place.

"I was wondering if you have a moment to talk with me." She asks. "Of course if you are not too busy?"

Angela dithers, looks around to find her peer standing a foot away in the same hallway, a big question mark on her face. She shrugs and hints something to her fellow nurse, and takes short and quick strides towards Bella; although her uncertainty remains the same. The other nurse heads out to the opposite direction.

"Yes?" Breezing in the room she first looks at the duffel bag and then to her.

"Sit." Bella picks up the panda from the chair and places the large soft toy in her bed. She sits quietly.

"You are checking out today I guess." Precariously she looks at her face.

"Yes. That is why I wanted to talk to you." Bella says. Angela looks clueless. "I wanted to apologize for that morning." She says breathing in. "I acted in a rude and absolutely wrong way."

The nurse keeps the file she was carrying on her lap and looks down at her feet. "To be honest I was inappropriate too. I shouldn't have asked you those things. It's just that you are the talk of the town now; you know the girl who got kidnapped by the psycho-killer and miraculously escaped." She muffles.

"And still alive." Bella says in a lighter tone.

"And still alive." Nodding, Angela smiles.

"I understand. But you see I was not kidnapped. I was injured badly and lost." She clarifies.

"I know. I heard the nurses talking."

"Nurses?" she sits on the bed facing her.

"Yeah, Jasmine, I mean who's nursing you now, she told everyone. She's kind of chattering."

"She gossiped." Bella exclaims. "She doesn't look like one."

"She is afraid of you."

"What? Why?"

Angela reluctantly looks at her, debating if she should tell her what made the 'grim' nurse fearful of her.

"She heard of you and she figured you would not like to, you know, get along with her."

"You were afraid of me too?" Bella finds the conversation amusing. "You thought I might attack you again."

"I thought you are not prepared to answer questions or talk about the things. I thought you are traumatized. But it's weird, because you look so fine, so smart. It doesn't feel like you have been going through any bad incident." The astonished expression comes back on her face as she speaks. "I mean even if you were not kidnapped and all, being hurt and lost is not so good situation either. But apparently you have handled all those things very well."

Bella mutes herself. She did handle some of the things tactfully, but not everything. Emmett and her sister are still doubtful on a lot of issues, she could even tell how many questions are there biting their brains. Jacob is there, going through a difficult emotional crisis. And she is running out of time. She has tons of heartache and heartbreak to make up, and she has only seven days to accomplish her tasks.

Its 13th today.

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**_A/N: There's something I have noticed after posting this fiction, a lot of readers read it and add it to their lists, but miss to leave a comment. Please tell me people if you love it, or hate it, or whatever it is going on your mind while reading this story. Its my first attempt to write a fiction like this and I really need to know how I am doing._**

**_Reply to guest review-_**

**_Edward lover: Thanks a lot. I hope you will like the next chapters too._**

**_Thank you all for reading._**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, only the story is mine... The beautiful lines are by Robert Frost.**

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**~~Chapter 9~~**

**Thursday, evening 4.30 pm...**

The car is running in a medium speed. Jacob glances to Bella seated in the rear seat, through the front mirror. His perplexed look vanishes seeing her smiling out in space. He repeats the same thing he had said to her in the hospital, _everything will be fine_, though the dreadful premonition is still stinging him. He had been saying this same thing from the very night she disappeared mysteriously. A lot of awful experiences he went through in these ninety five days, but the optimist idea never let him give up. Today, when he needs that optimist Jacob more than ever, he is nowhere to be found.

She twists herself, revealing the enticing view of the bare skin of her neck and shoulder. There was a time, when he used to long to catch a glimpse of what he could see now. However now, he feels a rage burning his heart. He sees a scar, something like nail marks on her freshly bathed skin. His heart shatters into million pieces. That mark could mean only one thing, and he frighteningly attempts to banish that idea from his head. The intangible fear clouds him again.

She shifts again and consciously adjusts her violet top to cover every open part of her body. Her eyes stops on the mirror meeting his, he looks away.

"When will we reach home?" her innocent voice rings inside the small car.

"In half an hour." Rosalie seated in the front seat answers. Her voice sounds groggy.

"Are you sleeping there?" Bella leans forward to see her face.

"I didn't sleep well last night."

"So you're sleeping now?" She laughs. "Unbelievable."

Jacob laughs too. His smile sounds like a happy Luke Bryan song, bright and jovial. Bella leans back to her seat and looks out smiling.

The road crowded with people, mostly women with their kids, looks like a vibrant painting of a festive afternoon. She wonders if there is something special about today. 13th January, she counts mentally, not anything she could think of. She skims through the crowd and finally gets the picture, it's their play time. The kids with their laughter and brilliant appearances splash colors in the scenery as she indulges into the view. They cross a park nearby the hospital and take a left turn. They reach the main avenue that leads to their locality, the same road she used to take to her college every morning, and him to his college. She always considered the idea of changing her college very seriously, but lack of a valid reason blocked her way. There was a flower shop in the opening of that

alley; she tilts her head to catch a glimpse of the young lady and her ten years old daughter. In their stead, she finds a teenage boy in the shop, handling two customers. Her bright mood suddenly goes down. She misses the cute little girl.

_An early morning, sometime back..._

"_You came early today?" The little girl asked._

"_I guess I was missing you my dear little Lucy." She giggled and poked her stomach._

'_Pleeeaaaseee." Lucy scowled with her pretty green eyes. "I am not a kid." She said rubbing her hands on the pink flesh._

"_Ooops. Sorry. I just can't help myself but doing that." She laughed sticking her tongue to her and stood straight. "Where is your mommy?" She looks around._

"_She is inside, working on a new design of bouquet. Shall I call her for you?" Lucy asked._

"_It's ok baby. Don't disturb her."_

"_There comes your prince charming." Lucy said pointing her finger to a handsome man jogging down the sidewalk across the road._

"_What?" She turned scurrying to look at the person Lucy was pointing, and exposed herself to the psychedelic experience of watching the sexy professor running. His facial expressions matched with that of an athlete working out, a raw virile one. His sturdy muscles flexed every time he moved them, emanating heat waves. His confident display of machismo froze her in her trail; she felt the familiar warmth in the air around her. She tried to breath, only to realize how incompetent, vulnerable she becomes whenever Professor Edward Cullen comes to her view. She gasped for air until the breath capturing man gradually vanished. The dizziness took some time to dissipate._

"_He looks so strong." Lucy brought her back to the real land. She looked down to see the girl giving her a naughty smile._

"_Prince charming huh? You really need to watch yourself girl." She ran behind her, Lucy's loud laughter echoed in the avenue. Two men busy reading newspaper looked at them, disturbed by the noise._

"What are you smiling at?" Jacob asked.

"Nothing, just remembered a funny incident." She feels sleepy too.

"Laziness is contagious." Jacob says.

She does not reply back, just keeps smiling. The afternoon air flows through her hair, she feels lightheaded. In thirty minutes or so they will be in her home. The disquietude in her mind was now mingling with an uncertain feeling, wavering between happiness and fret. She recites a poem in her head, something she was taught by her grandfather a long time ago.

_"So we must join hands in the dew coming coldly. There in the hush of the wood that reposes, and turns and goes up to the open door boldly..."_

Jacob adjusted the rear view mirror and arched his brow, questioning her.

"What?" She asks visibly embarrassed.

"What are you saying?" Jacob takes a right turn keeping his eye on the road.

Stumbling on the question, she gives him a disconcerted look. Was she speaking out loud? She flushed. By the time her embarrassment fizzled, she finds herself puzzled. What were the characteristics again, those made her fall for Jacob?

"It's alright. You don't need to talk. Relax until we get to home." She hears him saying, and concludes. Caring, and protective. These were the two traits of his personality that attracted her the most. Of course him being good-looking had nothing to do with this.

_A crimson evening with him..._

_She was brushing her hair; a soft voice caught her ear. She tossed the brush in her bed and slowly walked out of her room. Her limbs hurt from the past nights horrid experience, she distorted her face while walking. Ignoring the continuous friction of her clothing with the numerous wounds in her legs and back, she lumbered through the empty terrace to catch the person talking._

"**_Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice..."_**_He quoted closemouthed playing with the dog. He brushed the fur, checked his collar, and tapped his back affectionately._

_She was awestruck by the casual manner he was mumbling the words. Each word fell from his lips and formed a beautiful line. He was smiling, she noted a pair of deep bottomless dimples brightened his face as his speechless companion wagged its tail and nudged him with its nose appreciating his care. All her self-control and obstinacy from speaking went in vain. She spoke out loud._

"**_From what I've tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire."_**

_He jumped on his feet, noticeably upset of her sudden interruption. He looked disoriented, his chest heaved a sigh. He placed a hand on his hips, holding the hair brush clumsily in the other. Suppressing a giggle she gave him an apologetic look._

_ "I am sorry. I didn't mean to intrude like this, but the lines..." She paused to understand which way this is going, and with a small uncomfortable feeling she resumed. "I learned them when I was very young, I didn't understand them at that time. But I loved them."_

_His gaze on her intensified, making her extremely self-conscious. She remembered to prevent more damage to her gaping injuries; she had chose not to wear any undergarments this morning. And there she was standing in front of him, in a lonely crimson evening, with a thin cotton top and shorts in her. The butterflies in her stomach started to fly fiercely, her hands turned cold._

_But it seemed he was not even aware of her semi-nudity. He tore his gaze away and turned back. She, for a tiny moment felt relieved. The next tiny moment brought distress to her. He didn't even reply her back._

"_Ok. I am going to my room. And I am sorry again. I shouldn't have come here." She stuttered and turned to leave._

"**_I think I know enough of hate. To say that for destruction ice is also great. And would suffice_**_."_

_He mumbled the lines, going back to the dog again._

_Suddenly, she was blissfully standing in the clouds. Pure, feathery white, full of light and enchantment..._

A screechy noise slaps her face. She looks around petrified by the unpleasant jerk.

"What?" Rosalie shouts exactly the same thing she was going to ask. "What was that?"

"A kid from your block."Jacob breaths.

Rosalie shudders with a mortified look in her face. "Don't kill any kid Jacob. We are already having a lot of perils. Don't do this. The kid will survive anyway, but our lives would turn into hell." She rambles shaking her head.

"How insensitive of you Rose." Bella says climbing out of the car.

"What do you think you are doing?" Rosalie jumps in her seat.

"I am getting out of that insensitive car because, in case you haven't noticed, we are home." Bella beams and looks at the one story building in front of her. She places her hands in her hips and sighs. Nothing has changed. At least not as much as she thought it has.

Rosalie grabs her hand and pulls her. "Ohh... Come lets go in." She waves to Jacob . "You will bring the luggage won't you?"

"Hey don't be so mean." Bella smiles and walks backwards. "Come let me help you." She lends a hand to the poor boyfriend of hers.

"It's ok. Go in I'll manage."

"Ok." She shrugs and stops abruptly.

"Where is Mrs. Brown? It's her time for evening walk isn't it?"

Jacob looks helplessly to Rosalie, and states. "She died last month, heart failure."

.

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**_A/N: I want to thank all my readers for your amazing reviews. And also who have added this story to their fav/alerts..._**

**_Seriously you made my day, which is why I decided to update as soon as possible._**

**_Once again thanks a lot for reading._**

**_Have a nice weekend._**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything, just the story line and the mistakes are mine.**

**.**

.

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~~Chapter 10~~**

**13th****January**

**Thursday, night 10.30pm...**

The universe is full of riddles. Apart from the critical ones such as the origin of life and crop circles, murder mysteries of politicians and Hitler's inclination towards the occult, these riddles also include the endless and pretty mundane questions involving pathetic human lives starting with 'why's and 'how's, which often stumbles on some with 'when's. But the biggest amongst the all is one's own mind. In their whole lifetime, every person is forced to deal with this awfully intricate riddle, and they eventually end up tangled in the abstruse topic. Most of the time they remain unaware of this their entire lives, on the other hand some learn the fact with the passing time. In Bella's case, she became well versed of the truth at a very young age of nineteen that her mind was totally messed up; she didn't know what she wanted from her life, what her expectations from a relationship were. It was the precious night of self-recognition when she was standing in a dark chamber, with Edward Masen.

Today, three months from that night she consummated the truth once again. The world before her eyes was spinning wildly after Jacob told her about Mrs. Brown's sudden death. More than just being shocked, she was actually shaken from her core when she finally gathered the fact, that the old lady is gone. She is never coming back. Bella would never see her walking on the road in front of her house, or knitting sweaters for her grandparents in the balcony. She used to make delicious cookies and muffins, the scent often made the two sisters salivate. Rosalie collected the recipes, and they were awestruck to know how limited ingredients she used to make those absolutely scrumptious cookies, yet how tempting they tasted. Bella herself never talked much to her; there was no particular reason though. She never bothered herself in wasting her time with her.

That lady was gone.

Sitting idly in her single bed, she thinks dolefully. There was a faint ill-feeling somewhere in her mind about coming back, the change. She was always afraid to accept it.

She starts abusing Edward inwardly. It entirely is his fault. It was his idea to get her back to home. He thought he would make everything up this way. The idiot was too adamant on his decision, he overlooked the fact that nothing could be fixed, not anymore. After all she went through, all she experienced with him; it was far too late to fix things.

She snuggles under the brown mink blanket; her eyelids become heavy with heaps of fatigue and repressed despair.

Mrs. Brown used to live with her husband and a maid. Her children were out of town since they graduated, it was a long time. She recalls of her first meeting with her daughter Emily, she was told that Emily was a very talented surgeon. She was a fun-loving personality. She also introduced her to the rest of her family, her husband Derek, her brother Matt, and her two naughty kids. She tries to picture how they would have mourned for their dead mother, they never visited her or paid much diligence to her... Did they even mourn? Were they really sad?

Of course they were. Just because there job didn't permit them to visit home frequently, or spend much time with their old parents that does not mean they were not close to them. They were sad. She repeats.

The night passes by peacefully, granting her a sound bottomless slumber free of external disturbances. Some voices, however continues to obscure her sleeping brain.

"Next week by this time you will be home."

"I love you Edward Masen. I always did, and I will always do. You can't stop me from doing that."

"What the hell do you think you are doing here?"

"What do you know about me?"

"Go back to the place where you came from."

"Bella… Beautiful."

Someone roars, the tone affronting, laced with animosity and trouble. She fretfully shivers in her sleep. A soft warm material blankets her, she quivers a little. Before drowning into a black lake the last thing she feels is a touch, a strong long hand wrapping her slender body, a rock-hard body cocooning around hers. Unknowingly she curls her lips a little, as much as required to cast a tender beam.

**McCarty's residence, 11pm...**

Emmett McCurty pastes the photographs on the wooden wall of his study. The room is mostly dark, the only source of light is a small lamp placed in his table illuminating the small area around his table, and his laptop. He had been working hard lately which is evident from the mess around him. Stacks of books and files give the room an ancient library or a museum look. Emmett, too engrossed in the photographs apparently has no qualms on living in a mess.

The pictures, total three of them are the actual ones of the ill-fated ladies who were grotesquely killed, most likely by the same murderer in the past seventeen years; all three of them having an uncanny similitude on their faces. Emmett runs his eyes from the very recent victim to the old ones making mental notes on each of them. The detailed history of each case assembled in three different files is piled on his desk. He skims through the file of Helena Gilbert and peers in his laptop screen to check on the specifics chronicled in the database of their official network.

_"Helena Gilbert, age 25. Missing report filed on 19 February 2011, found dead in an abandoned park near St. Mary's cathedral on 27 March 2011 at morning 6.30 am. Died approximately six hours ago around 12 to 12.30 am; multiple stab wounds, cuts and pierces along with mutilation in intimate sexual regions are found in the body. Also found signs of violent sexual assaults. The dead body was cleansed using a particular brand of body wash, and made up neatly before positioning in the bench."_

He fingers the edges of the first snap of Ms. Gilbert's weirdly positioned corpse taken by their official photographer. The lady was laid in the old rusted bench in an angelic way; her hands were rested carefully on her side. Dressed in a sheer pale pink nightgown, she delivered the very picture of someone peacefully devouring into a comfortable slumber. Although the injuries visible from beneath the thin clothing she wore were screaming an altogether different tale. She had a lovely face, fairly made up to cover the anguish she went through. He stares at the rest of the pictures taken from various angles viewing the brown wavy hair, a cherubic face, and slender features of the nurse in City hospital. The news created quite a big buzz in the town for it was the third case after Jessica Hynes murder in November 2007 and Tanya Denali in 1994. Jessica was found in another abandoned road intersecting highway, and Tanya Denali was found in her residence. Could their detective department be any more incompetent? After committing three blood curdling murders, the killer is still in free, somewhere in the same town, and their department has no fucking clue of how to find out the barbarous psychopath.

He browses through the 2003 case, another hideous murder of an art student 23 years old Jessica Hynes. She went missing and her parents suspected her to leave home, which lead them file a missing diary after ten days of her disappearing. He shakes his head out of uncontrollable frustration and anger as he reads the same words he read in Helena Gilbert's case apart from the dates and names. He takes a big gulp of single malt scotch from his half empty glass and reads on.

After a brief while he stumbles upon a line which depicting the details of an eye witness, a local vendor who reportedly saw the girl with a man seated cozily in a black SUV. The expensive model of the car had been his prime clue, but turned out the owners of the five 'only' SUVs of such model and make had a very clean and influential background. But that was only a single example of his futile attempts to move forward in this case.

Closing the file he swiftly moves it away from him. If only he could move away or better erase the past eight unsuccessful years from his life book, the eight years those brought him nothing but defeat and disgrace. Being famous as one of the bests in his department seems just another cruel joke to him now.

Pouring the last drop of scotch in his throat he looks up at the wall where the first victim was still smiling to him, as if teasing him to spare some of his precious time for her as well. He sticks his eyes on Tanya Denali.

The woman had large eyes of the same dark brown shade, waist long brown hair was braided neatly before she posed. Attired in a blue V neck blouse and pin striped pencil skirt, the teacher of English literature in Forks High School most likely had far more advanced taste of fashion and clothing. A faint chuckle escapes his throat anticipating what it would have been like to the boys who attended her class. Concentrating her lectures, hurdling for good grades and at the same time repressing the boyish semi-matured thoughts those must have polluted their minds watching her movements; it must have been a difficult business of multitasking to them. Delving into her sinful eyes Emmett muses. He had seen eyes like hers, not similar, but exactly identical. The only difference was the ones he saw were purely innocent. He goes back to her history. Born in 1966, she worked for Forks high school from 1987 to 1994. Found murdered in her own bedroom with the same passion and intensity, her lifeless body was positioned imitating a famous painting of Venus hung in the same room. The replica of Jean Auguste Ingres was seized too. Did she ever foresee what impact the painting would bring into her life, or more precisely to her death? He stares thoughtfully at her face, eventually his sight shifts to her cheeks, and her plump lips. He pictures those lips moving, forming meaningful words and then a complete sentence.

"Enjoying the party Emmett?"

A thunder strikes him; he feels an eerie discomfort under his skin. Tanya Matthews was killed two years before he was transferred to this town; there is no possible way for him to know her. Yet, somehow the idea of knowing her merges inside his head increasingly, yielding him a hazy memory of speaking with her. As a matter of fact, it is like they have shared quite cheerful times with each other, chatting, joking, and laughing. He convulses his head having a huge amount of mistrust upon himself, looks down at the bottle of scotch. How much did he drink since the evening?

"Hey you don't get to make fun of my sister. Mind it."

Another thunder strikes him, this time it stirs him up pretty hard. He finally recalls the party, and the younger version of Tanya Matthews he talked with. He staggers towards a drawer and frisks through it frantically until he finds out a new recently taken photograph. He pastes it below Tanya's picture and compares the faces. With every passing second his discomfort grows stronger, the unerring spookiness in the air around him hikes wildly. His forehead moistened with a thin cover of perspiration, he feels his throat dry. He pours more scotch in his glass and swallows the liquid hastily, as his life depends on the alcoholic substance.

Frenzied, he browses through her file for the seventh time this evening. Married to Eleazor Denali, Tanya was a local fairytale heroine. She got divorced mutually within two years of her marriage. Blindly hoping he would find what he is looking for, he runs his finger through each of the typed sentence. He rests when he finds her entire family background including the names of her parents, uncles, and siblings. He breathes heavily. How did he miss this absolutely vital point? He curses his inefficiency out loud.

A vague comprehension slowly starts building up in his brain, something with great plausibility, only he finds himself unable to put it perfectly in place. At a point the plausibility effervesces like soap bubbles leaving him drained out of his frustration.

He decides to visit Bella and Rosalie the next morning. He has some questions the sisters need to answer; especially the elder one.

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**_A/N: Thank you all for your reviews, also for adding the story to your fav/alerts._**

**_This is probably my last update this year. Its been great to be with you. Thanks again for making me so happy. For me, it was the best period of this year._**

**_Show me some love people. Leave your reviews and if you want criticisms too. If you spot any mistake let me know that too._**

**_Thank you once again._**

**_WISHING ALL OF YOU A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR. HAVE A BLAST:):):)_**


	11. Chapter 11

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, only the story line is mine. The lines I have used in the end part are written by Maia Victoria and Robert Peck._**

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**_~~Chapter 11~~_**

"_Who are you?" His brutally hoarse voice daggered her. Growling like an untamed beast he approached to her. "Who ARE you?"_

_Frozen in her place, Bella forgot to breath. Her heart pumped so fast, listening to the hypersonic thumps of her own cardiac organ she affrighted it may collapse at any moment. She stared blankly at the person standing in front of her. He was tall, and looking very handsome in an evil bestial way. She widened her already widened eyes further more when his hatefully inflamed eyes met hers. Staring at the dark wrinkles of his face she pondered whether she was experiencing this horrifying man in real, or was it just a nightmare._

_Her doubts were cleared soon, when he grabbed her seizing her hair in his large fist and let out a guttural growl. By the amount of pain his unshakable hold on her body inflicted he ratified the actuality of the moment. "Tell me who are you? I know this face very well. Who are you?" He shook her violently, she sensed some hair breaking from their roots._

"_B-Bellaaa..." She stammered gasping. "My name is Bella."_

"_Miss Bella. What do you know about me? Why were you looking at me this evening?" He yelled. His pants became faster. "Why do you look like her? She is dead. I killed her. Then why do you look like her?" He pressed his body against her, fissuring every inch of her bones. She flinched and looked up at his mad face. Did he really confess a crime he committed sometime?_

"_I don't know what you are talking about." She breathed low while her mind processed his admittance and questions, all at the same time._

"_Oh really? You are an innocent little girl aren't you? So innocent that you know nothing, and you cannot even understand what I am asking don't you?" His grasp on her waist tightened sending a gripe to her brain. "Why do you look like Tanya Denali?"_

"_Wh-what?"_

_In a flash, everything came crystal clear to her. His annoyance and violence towards her; his admittance of the murder he committed seventeen years back and indirectly two more murders he employed later; his frustration and uncertainty. She gathered everything; so much as she got a vague idea of the probable reason behind his crimes too. Now, she truly stopped breathing. Stiffened and cold like a marble statue, she stood having an awestruck look in her eyes. It seemed impossible to her, impossible yet full of logical corollaries. The reason of herself being interested in a killer was though still not understandable to her. She blinked, feeling the warmth of the tears welling in her eyes; she debated in her mind about the possible results of disclosing her relationship with Tanya Denali._

_Two things could happen. One, he could kill her too, after well, raping her, leaving marks of his masochism in every part of her body. In that case she would be found lying lifeless somewhere, in some God forsaken abandoned place, posing as if modeling in a painting. From what she had gathered from the previous highly infamous examples, he would probably cleanse her too, give her a beautiful make up, dress her in an expensive gown and leave her. No matter how romantic it sounded, it didn't seem much appealing to her._

_The second possibility rather seemed as a plot of a romance novel to her. She considered him being an owner of a soft heart, although guilty of multiple crimes he was a good man inside. She also imagined him to spare her life, leave her alone, say some soft words to her, and her imagination was in its height when she fancied he would tell her why he killed Tanya. The absurdity of the second possibility was extreme. Yet she wasn't left with any other choice. She had to tell him, and then the only one thing she could do was to pray and hope that it would end soon._

_He was still standing before her, his body was still pressed to her. She was still suffering from lack of oxygen in the air. She looked at his face frightened, and finally opened her mouth._

"_Tanya Denali was my aunt; my father's youngest sister."_

_A couple of moments passed by silently, without any single movement the man, the serial-killer the whole town was talking about stared at her face. His looks from angry turned into astonishment, Then travelling from doubts and uncertainty it came into a realization, which in a rapid second heartbreaking emotions pooled in his eyes. The harsh brutality came back instantly, and he thrashed her into the wall behind her. Her head hit pretty hard, she could hear her bones breaking, muscles mashing inch by inch. Before she could respond appropriately, a black curtain fell before her eyes._

**January 14, 2011**

**Friday morning 5.30 am**

For the first time in three months she is going relish a long shower in her own bathroom. She was surprised when she automatically woke up fifteen minutes ago, as early rising has never been her habit. The drastic changes in her life in the past three months have now made her body over-sensitive, making her aware of every slight difference in atmosphere. She gathers that is why her sleep remained incomplete. She opens every window in her room; slides all the curtains to allow sunlight wash over the idleness, except for one window that let her neighbor Tim a detailed view of her private space. She opens her cupboard, discovers Rose has made no change in the way she used to organize her things, not a tiny bit. She shuffles through her belongings; everything is kept just the way she left them. She takes her towel and decides to re-organize everything this afternoon, or whenever she gets some free time. It gives her a strange way of satisfaction. She picks a neat and clean pale blue top to wear with her denim.

The first thing she does after sliding inside the bathroom is to close the door tightly with a panicked speed. _This is your own room Bella; no one is going to get in without your permission._She exclaims soundless and looks around. The large bathroom is the biggest in this house. Turquoise and green shades sooth her eyes. She reaches out for her toiletries; Rose had stocked them very recently, most probably before she came back yesterday. She looks at the full-length mirror she ordered specially for herself. It took her a lot of effort to find out men and fix this mirror where she wanted. She smiles recalling her stubborn demands and starts taking off her night dress, her eyes glued to her own reflection.

She shrieks inwardly seeing herself completely bare in the mirror, being conscious of what perturbed her sister and the doctors and lead them to the conclusion of her being kidnapped by the killer. A long deep cut mark between her breasts looks worst among all the marks. Though well treated and cured, it still looks blood red and gaping. A similar cut by her navel catches her eye, breaking the curve of her waist it goes downwards. She gently touches the cut and shivers. This cut is exactly 67 days old. She gently runs her finger over the cut and closes her eyes, whirls of desire clouds her mind. Pain, sometimes could turn into pure bliss, liquid lust could upsurge through every living cell of the body, flooding every working organ in a breathing moment. She was unaware of this powerful feeling that intensified with her touch on the wound. She sighs, smiles a little feeling the familiar fire slowly burning the origin of all the tingling sensations rippling through her skin. Her vision fills with various images, some disturbing, some soothing, and some blowing oxygen to the fire."_Thick, harsh lines, across my skin, marring my complexion; thick, swift strokes, I don't let anyone in."_

She opens her eyes and brings her sight up to her heaving breasts; her eyes find the purple bruises. They look a bit blackish now, almost gone. So is the bite mark near her left nipple. She brushes her finger on the bruises and travels to the south locating the next bite. It is comparatively new and prominent. "Devil's kiss." She murmurs and smiles softly as the skin under her finger tingles. _"They just add to the collection."_

She sweeps the brown silky waves those hung around her waistline obscuring the view of a small yet deep scar. She rests her hair on her left shoulder and revealed her back to the mirror; she turns a bit more to bring the scar in a visible angle. This scar is the deepest one and the oldest one as well. She gained this scar on the first night she got lost.

She sits herself on the cool marble floor examining her long thin legs. Goosebumps sprawls on the soft surface. There was a cut on her inner thigh, she observes cautiously. Alike others, this cut is cured too. The bruises in her right thighs are slowly fading away, leaving some black marks behind. She suddenly narrows her eyes. What is this? She touches the scar and frowns, aiming all her efforts to remember the particular object that dug into her skin two months back. The round shape with a small blue stone affixed in the center, the ring appears in her vision at once with the long enticing fingers of the owner. _These scars tell a story, one that's hard to hear._She smirks. _These scars tell my story._

She picks the hand shower and wets herself with the luxurious flow of lukewarm water, her lips move unconsciously forming small words, words combining together to form sentences. Sentences those emulate her delicate ardors. "_The first time our lips met I've never experienced skin as soft as yours, I tasted how sweet your soul is, I got a taste of how unique you truly are"_At some point, the real events merge with imaginations, and she goes on with the flowing water. "_The first time our bodies got acquainted you were stripped of all of your insecurities, I used my hands to venture the uncharted. My fingers were portraying what my eyes wanted to say..."_

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**A/N: Thank you all my amazing readers. You make my day every time you leave a comment. It's really great.**

**Special thanks: Robert Peck from and Maia Victoria from hellopoetry for the amazing lines.**

**Have a happy weekend all of you:):):)**


	12. Chapter 12

_**Disclaimer: Characters used in this fiction are creative property of the original authors.**_

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** ~~Chapter 12~~**

She looks herself at the mirror while drying herself with a towel; her mind is still transfixed on the memoirs. Her skin looks fresh after a shower, free from blemishes. Her shoulders glisten with small beads of water dripping from her wet hair. She tosses the towel on her bed and picks her body lotion. Fragrance of apricot sweetens the air. She dabs a good amount of lotion in her palm and gently applies the substance on her hands and shoulders. She takes a whiff of her skin and a faint smile curls her lips.

A noise from a troubled engine hits her just the moment she starts humming an old tune from her childhood. She adjusts the towel wrapping her slender body and sneaks out her window. A car with a 'Police' symbol stick on it ushers their boundary, she recognizes Emmett at once sitting behind the steering wheel. What the hell is he doing here now? She glances at her digital watch, 7.30 blinks at her. She runs for her robe, before he rings the bell she has to sober herself, or at least wake up Rosalie.

"Rosalie?" She knocks on her door and opens it slowly; a disturbing creek annoys her more than Emmett's sudden visit. She runs to Rosalie's bed making as little noise as is possible for her, and pushes her violently. "Rosalie wake up."

"What? What is it?" Rosalie springs on her bed yanking the rich red blanket off her, she pants looking at her face, her eyes looks red and puffed. "What is it Bella?"

"Emmett." Bella mutters under her breath.

"Emmett what?" Rosalie frowns; her face contorts feeling a twinge of anger.

"He's on door. Did you call him?" Bella maintains the hushed tone and sits beside her.

"Why would I?" Fatigue and irritation drips from her expression. "And why are you naked?"

Bella looks down at herself and makes a face. "I am not naked Rosalie, I am wearing a towel."

"Why are you wearing a towel? Why is your hair wet? What the hell is happening here?" Rosalie throws herself on her bed again ranting mindlessly. She closes her eye and wraps herself in her blanket.

The bell rings loudly, the two girls jump in the sudden violation of their hearing senses.

"Hear that? Go now." Bella pushes her out of her comfort zone, her fluffy queen size bed. "I just had a shower and I can't open the door. Remember towel?" She points at her towel making a funny face.

"Leave my room you naked chick." Rosalie takes her drowsy steps down stairs.

Bella comes back to her room taking quick swift steps. she must change and go downstairs. She hurries through her room when she hears Rosalie's voice from the kitchen.

"Bella will you take coffee?"

"Yes I will." She replies back and opens her wardrobe. Browsing through her wardrobe she searches for a particular top, "Damn it." She picks up a pink tank top with denim, stares at the baby pink top for a moment and tosses the top on her bed dismissing it.

"Rosalie where is my green shirt?"

"What green shirt?"

"I had one dark green shirt. That-" she freezes. She never had that dark green shirt, not here in this house.

_One fine morning, a couple of months back..._

"_What if I get lost someday like that girl in news?"Bella exclaimed with such a disheartened tone, Alice could not help but feel miserably despaired. _

_What do people do if a girl from their family or friends gets lost suddenly one day? They look for her in every possible places she could be stuck in; they find her in every less likely places with slightest probability of her visiting before sudden non appearance. They keep calling her number and each time their attempts to get in touch with her end up with a mechanical recorded voice message._

_They search for the person until their hope dies, or they receive any bad news. _

"_Do you think she will ever come back?" Bella asked keeping her eyes focused on the television screen.; the smart looking newsreader was still speaking of a certain Helena Gilbert who went missing the previous day. _

"_May be. Who knows." Alice mumbled with a great effort to erase the horrible visions those been tainting her senses since she saw the photograph of the missing girl._

_Last time when a girl went missing, she never came back. Nearly a month later the local police got an anonymous call and rushed to a deserted road, and they found the girl's corpse. Alice closed her eyes as the unwanted memories of the creepy incident crawled to her brains. The detectives took no time tracing her as she was the unfortunate kid who discovered the dead body first. She witnessed everything, every detail on her way home back to school. She witnessed a great many things that the experience became unbearable to her. _

_Her mother Esme had to face even more difficulties to draw her out of her depression and mental instability. The long therapy sessions for the next two continuous years worked, but it did not help her desperate attempts to erase that part of her memory._

"_A lot of people go missing everyday Bella, some of them come back, some don't. What can we do about that?" She said to Bella watching her unsteadiness, and repeated the sentence once again in her mind, to her own unsteady self._

_Her detached and calm tone amazed Bella, for she was not expecting that sort of cold response from her. This is exactly how most of the viewers think while watching news, and she was aware of that, yet she was not prepared to see Alice of all people to act this way. Alice Brandon was the one with extreme reactions and warmth. Bella remembered how her friends loved to speak to her in their low times because of her warm nature. _

"_At Least we can show some compassion." She said looking at Alice skeptically. Putting down the cushion from her la she shifted to the far end of the sofa she was seated in and leaned back resting herself. Aice remained busy turning pages of her fashion magazine._

"_Compassion would not bring good luck to those who are already lost. Compassion certainly wouldn't bring them back." She said frowning at a glossy photograph of Paris Hilton. _

"_So if I get lost someday, and you get no news of me, either good or bad, you will become this detached about me too?" Bella demanded in a strong intonation. _

"_Bella!" Alice shrilled. "How could you even say something so absurd like that?Nothing is going to happen to you."_

"_What is so absurd about this? A lot of people go missing every day. You just said that yourself." _

_Alice stared at her incredulously. Bella, her childhood friend, her soul sister was accusing her of being detached. She was detached of course, but what impression Bella got was so wrong, and the worst part was Alice could not tell her the way she actually felt. It was like she was back in the interjection of that old deserted road and the highway that took her school, and she was feeling cold thinking of Bella in the bench the corpse was found in._

_She managed to speak out though. "If you go missing someday, which I am damn sure you wouldn't, but still for argument's sake if that happens, I promise Bella I will find you out. I will find you and bring you back." She shot Bella an angry scowl. " and now I __**request **__you to stop this discussion." _

**Whitlock's residence:**

**January 14th, morning 8 am.**

Bella got disappeared October 11th, eight months after that Sunday. She came back after three months, almost the same way they found the corpses. The only fact that distinguished her story from others was she was breathing pretty steadily when she was found. She was alive.

Alice places her eyes to the digital calendar calculating mentally. Its been four days after her return, and she did not visit her for once. She did not call her, and when Rosalie called her to give her the good news she avoided her. She simply avoided her saying she is busy with 'stuffs'. She was clueless what to say.

Today Bella needs her most, Alice knows that very well, and yet she is hiding from her. _How miserable you are Alice Brandon?_ She asks herself and receives no answer.

"Bella came back to her home yesterday. " She says in a low, defeated pitch, her depression contaminates Jasper's mood too.

"I know." He says not looking at her. He knows Alice would not look at his face now, she would try every attainable way to avoid his direct, inquisitive gaze. She would not talk about it either. So he keeps the air normal as usual.

The only bothering part is, silence is the new normal in his house. Alice prefers to be absolutely quiet when it comes to Bella.

"Pass me the butter." He says and concentrates on the news paper.

"Jasper I need you to do something for me."

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_**A/N: Thanks to all my readers who loved this fiction. It took me almost a month to post the next chapter. I had some small distractions...**_

_**I hope you will enjoy this chapter. I will try to post the next one ASAP, but I wont promise anything because it feels so awful to break a promise.**_

_**Thanks for reading, and all your support.**_

_**Until next time:)**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/N - Hello all. I am back after a long time. Sorry for this late update. I just checked the last date I updated this fiction and instantly I felt ashamed.**_

_**Are you still there reading this fic and waiting to know what happens next?**_

_**Disclaimer: The characters are creative property of their author, Only this plot is mine.**_

_**~~Chapter 13~~**_

.

_Same day, Rosalie's place:_

"Emmett. What a surprise!" Rosalie smiles at her early morning guest, still her face remains clouded. "Thanks for waking me up so early. Come in."

"I am sorry to disturb you this early, but-"Emmett runs his hand through his short messy hair artlessly, his eyes make a quick tour of the house and comes back to Rosalie's baffled face.

"But it was something that couldn't wait?" She raises her left brow to him.

"Where is Bella?" Emmett walks slouching to the living cum dining space leaving Rosalie behind him. The largest window in this house is in the living room that allows its residents to oversee the garden through it. He slides the curtain clumsily and let the golden morning glow enter the space. This window occupies a huge and enduring part of his memory. He wonders if the feelings storming his mind bothers Rosalie the same way too. Her apathetic features indicate her lack of emotions. She ties her hair up in a pony tail and advances to the open kitchen.

"She's in her room. Would you take coffee?" She asks without looking at Emmett's face. She remembers his addiction to strong black coffee and takes out a black ceramic mug which she brought last year for him.

"Coffee will be great. I could use some intoxication right now." Emmett murmurs and slowly takes a seat near the black kitchen counter. He stares at the crumbles of bread here and there and starts collecting them with his fingers. Last night must have been a busy one, and Rosalie never enjoyed cleaning rituals in her home. He quietly gathers every bit of breads and brushes them off the counter. He drums his fingers gently on the black countertop and traces the outline of his own fingerprints. His feet shake themselves as if out of their own volition as he doesn't seem to be much aware of his silly impatient activities, Rosalie cannot help herself but breaking her cold silence.

"So what is it so compulsory for you to know?"

"Do you know someone named Tanya Denali?"

The floor shakes violently under her feet. The sweet morning breeze fills with some invisible drug, or may be something anesthetic, Rosalie feels nauseated for a while.

If it was a nuclear explosion accidentally taken place in the house, she wouldn't be so shocked. If it was the President calling her by her nick name she wouldn't be so startled. Even if Aro had come up to her place to apologize to her she would have fought back her confusion.

But it is a just name. a name she and her family took an oath to never mention. How did Emmett…?

Of course, she comes to her conclusion in no time. He has to be the one working on the case now. He had mentioned earlier this month when he came to ask about Bella's details. He was suspecting it was the same person who killed the unfortunate ladies and who abducted Bella; although she snorted in a way as if he had mentioned a Greek mythological demon the idea left her sleepless for almost a whole fortnight, until they finally received an anonymous phone call with news of her sister.

But Bella is back now right? Why is he trying to digging up the corpse buried seventeen years back?

She sucks some air as if to stabilize her fiercely thumping heart and glares at Emmett, who she finds watching her face intently. She hopes her sudden shock would not compel her in front of him.

"Tanya Denali? What about her?"

"So you do know her?" Emmett maintains his intent look and speaks carefully.

"Is this why you remained up the whole night and came in running to meet me?" She snarls as quietly possible to avoid the upcoming fight.

"I slept around 4 o'clock at morning, I was too unconscious to notice or else I would have come to meet you two hours back." Emmett looks back hearing footsteps. "Good morning Bella."

Bella arrives in a pink tank top and denim, her smile resembles a freshly bloomed daisy. "Good morning Em. What's going on?" She drops herself on the couch nearby and watches the two of them.

"Nothing as special, we were planning to have a great coffee with you." Emmett grins, and Rosalie realizes how much she missed his grins, and the happy moments conjoined with it.

"Sounds great but I was planning to go for a walk." Bella stands playing with the hemline of her top, a stiff stumbling expression crosses her beautiful face. Rosalie notices Emmett sighing relief from her sideways view, but for a small time she decided not to focus on him. She smiles at her sister encouragingly.

"Take your coffee first, and please try to come back soon."

His eyes follow the girl as she bounces her slender body through the stairs down her place and jogs by the sidewalk, her focus never leaving the houses in the neighborhood. She stops for a while and watches an old man seated alone in a chair, the house he resides at looks grim despite the scarlet bunch of roses swinging their heads in the picket fenced garden. He knows how abruptly the old man lost his wife, he also empathizes his despair and loneliness. He is aware of the vast differences he has with the old man, yet he firmly believes there is one common ground they both share; loneliness.

The girl waves her hand to the old man and walks slowly to him, spreading a golden smile. He feels the warmth of her smile despite being far away from her, sitting inside his car, hiding himself behind the dark green glasses. Reminiscing the warm touch of her laughter in the morning air, and her suppressed giggles he wonders if she recalls anything having the same warmth in her heart.

"She shouldn't," he convinces to himself. "She must not."

He continues watching the girl as she sits with the old man, gently consoling him. After some time she leaves and walks to the intercepting road that took her to the flower shop. She stands a while looking for someone and shakes her head. She waits looking at the opposite direction, her eyes lost in the blank space at the side walk.

He remembers how she used to be there every morning, with the little girl by her side, just to see him for once.

A satisfying sense of contentment and longing pools into his heart, the disturbing loneliness slowly fleeting away as she smiles suddenly. She must have remembered her silly actions as well, he supposes.

The warmheartedness dissipates as soon as it came. He lands back to his reality.

"Why can't you just forget me Bella?"

.  
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_**A/N: So he's still there following his girl... There will be some more romance between your favorite couples, so please be with me:)**_

_**Thank you for reading.**_


	14. Chapter 14

**_DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters._**

_"Do I know you?" Edward enunciated each word with a carefully applied pressure, willing to sound indifferent and dubious, attempting hard to hide the whirl wind forming inside his chest._

_She stared at his face widening her large brown eyes, her cheeks flushed, her breath fastened as he gazed down her neck, following the small shivers on her smooth skin. _

_Her countenance confessed the whole story. It was the story where she was the sweet innocent princess who fell in love with a mysterious dark prince. She had spent countless nights savoring the visceral reactions her body made every time she'd laid her eyes on him. Her dreams were blazed with the mannish charm and intensiveness he exuded mere unconsciously, and her nightmares were tainted with the fear of losing the opportunities of being close to him. Every morning she woke up because she had to rush to all the streets and spots where he went as a part of his routine life. She had to follow every little gesture of his distinguished him from any other man; her priority was to know every intricacies that elongated the distance between them. She was the princes who had ceased being herself since the day she met him, staring without a blink at her magic mirror just to catch another glimpse of his; he was alert of her attention to him, though he never sensed the intensity in her before._

_The impending precariousness caused by her nearness to him was not the worst part of the story, it was the fact that the pretty girl had turned herself into a stalker, literally, and she was oblivious of the ruinous path she was walking on. A wave of sympathy surged over him, making way for another nauseating contrite burdening his shoulders and head. He stared at the girl for a while, waiting for his own emotional heaviness to evaporate. He didn't have to wait long. She tore off her eyes of him in a way reminding him of someone he knew long ago, and he knew the not-so-nice man inside him was awakening. He collected himself and stared hard at her face, his eyes piercing through her surface like a red hot iron shaft. He imposed a fatal coolness to his tone. _

_"Do we have a problem here?"_

_"Umm… No," she stumbled upon her words. "No problem at all." She smiled nervously._

_Edward pulled his brows together displaying a sheer irritation._

_"Actually I got this book there, in the library. It has your name here, so I thought it's yours. I suppose you forgot it." She fingered a tendril of her brown wavy hair taking it back of her ear._

_He contorted his face grabbing the book from her hand. "Well, thanks for your concern but I left it there for a student of mine."_

_"Oh I am so sorry I didn't-"_

_Not giving her time to finish her words, he cut in. "I will suggest you not to make assumptions by seeing just the half of things. There could be a lot more behind the surface where you are not looking."_

_She looked blankly at his face, clearly lost in what he just said. _

_"By the way, thank you miss—"_

_She remained speechless. He arched a brow to her dazed reaction. Suddenly she was back o life. _

_"Swan... Bella Swan."_

Either he had been much evasive and his words were too vague, too amorphous to comprehend, or she was extraordinarily naïve, absolutely blinded that she missed the cautionary words he'd threw to her. The later was just a presumption he came up with, as he had not missed the fame of Bella Swan being one of the best students who made the authority proud enough to grant her a full scholarship. That was the first reason she was permitted to step anywhere near him. Being a professor in the most prestigious college of the state always had him the advantage of being protected from the unwanted crowd. So the only logic left was his secretiveness.

So what if he decided to be a little protective of his private life? He had been lived that way ever since he was seven years old. He was not blessed as any of the other boys of his age group, certainly not favored by luck, and he understood that in a young age. The prospect of sharing his terrifying experiences with any other soul appeared to be most absurd to him for obvious reasons. Opening himself up to a nineteen years old girl-someone too young to learn how foul life could be- was definitely an even worse idea. However realizing the fact was not beneficial for either of them, as she saw him in all the dreadful inhuman ways possible. At some points of her sojourn in his place he even showed her some of his wounds, unconsciously of course, but she saw them anyway.

Does she remember anything? The whole town is whispering of her miraculous comeback, her escape from the evil serial killer. The gossip mongers are spreading half truths about the three months of her absence; about how badly injured she is, about how she was involved with the killer. People are speculating comic theories, as though they finally have found a steady source of entertainment.

How wounded she is? Is she fine or what the elders are suspecting of her emotional trauma of being abducted by the killer has any truth in it? She was not abducted was she? Edward muses and stares out of the wind shield of his car.

He laughs at himself suddenly; a whirl of laughter shakes him gently in his driver's seat. A couple of months back he used to be in Bella's place, and she did all the stalking acts. It seems crazy how situations change within a short period of time. He eyes her making faces to three kids waiting for their school bus, in a while she waves at them as they leave for their school when the yellow colored bus stops at the street. The kids reciprocate her smile happily. She looks behind her at the flower shop and greets the lady, buys six of orange roses and approaches to pay her. Aren't orange roses the ones signifying enthusiasm and passion? He thinks while the flower lady holds Bella's hands, most likely requesting her not to pay her for the flowers. They both smile, she hugs Bella. Edward narrows his eyes catching a glimpse of what appears to be like tears to him. Despite the moisture in the eyes, they both smile.

All of a sudden Edward realizes he was holding a breath inside his chest, dallying for a smile he was craving to see, a smile that is an assurance that his Bella is back to her life.

* * *

_**A/N: I finally decided to write Edward's POV in this chapter. I din't get enough time to re-read or anything, but I wanted to post it today. So if you find any mistake please let me know, I'll fix it next time.**_

_**Have a happy weekend:)**_


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